You CANT see, Bones anymore
by stevieLUVSAlex
Summary: When Booth is given an ultimatum, he is faced with unexpected emotions and a promise he isn't sure he can live up to. Ooooh… are you intrigued? What happens when Hannah goes off the deep end! Find out more in this B&B FF
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I couldn't help it… I need something to tie me over until I see the first episode… YES, I am STILL yet to see the premiere and that means I still haven't met the unspeakable HANNAH. So, I know next to nothing about this girl, aside from the rumors on FF. In this FF, I am portraying Hannah in a way that may not be correct. I am making her home-base elsewhere, and she moved to Washington to be with Booth (this may be already correct)… I think that's all you need to know. _

_Have fun reading… :D_

Three months.

It had been exactly 92 days since Booth had returned to Washington, time in which he had been involved with his girlfriend Hannah, who up until now had been more than patient. But her patience was wearing thin, and was done playing the nice-girl.

Over dinner at Booth's apartment one night, Booth noticed the air of hostility when he raised the subject of Brennan, to Hannah, possibly for the umpteenth time that day. Who was keeping count?

Hannah rolled her eyes, and he watched as she gripped the fork in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

"Are you alright?" Booth observed.

There was a long pause.

"Hannah?"

"No," she stated. "Actually, Seeley, I'm not alright." She dropped the fork by her unfinished dinner plate, and met his eyes. "I have been so damn patient with you… with this stupid relationship you have with HER," her tone was bitter. "But I can't compete with her, can I?"

Booth frowned. "What do you mean… I don't-"

"STOP IT!" she snapped. "Stop pretending that she doesn't mean so much to you."

"She's my partner," he answered through clenched teeth. "And my friend, of course she means something to me."

"You know what I mean," she shot back venomously. Hannah had clearly had enough, she was done sitting back and waiting for the moment when she would be replaced.

Booth ran a hand through his hair.

"What can I do to prove that you are important to me… that I LOVE YOU?" he stressed.

"I want you to stop seeing her!" she declared.

Booth got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I don't think I can…" his head spun with the anxiety of this conversation. She was asking too much. She was asking more than he knew how to give. He sighed heavily, trying to reason with her. "Hannah, we work together, I work with the Jeffersonian… I can't just abandon my job!"

"I'm not asking you to," she said. Hannah stood from the table and cleared her plate, taking it over to the sink and running the hot water. "I didn't say you had to give up your job, but you don't have to work with her… you can change partners, and you can still work at the Jeffersonian. But you don't have to be with HER all the time. How do you think I feel?" she dropped the plate into the scolding water and turned around to face him. "Every time I walk into that building, I get these looks from everyone-"

"You're over thinking this," he said dismissively.

Booth pushed back his chair and crossed the kitchen to where she stood. He dropped his own plate in the sink and looked at her. Her eyes were dark and angry. "I am NOT over-thinking this!" she shot back.

"There is nothing going on between Bones and me…" he stressed.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "And yet you insist on calling her by a cute-pet name!" she pointed out.

"This is ridiculous, Hannah… this is not a competition."

"I'd hate to know who the winner was," she mumbled.

"What does that mean?" he challenged.

"It means you have to make a choice," she explained. Why did he assume he could have the best of both worlds without a complication arising? "I don't want to play second to her anymore… I can't do it… I moved here from my perfect New York apartment, to be with you."

"I am with you!" he reminded her.

"No, you're not…" she headed for the door, and stopped after opening it. "I'm going for a walk to give us some time to think. When I get back, I need to know that you'll put me first, like I put you first. I need to know that I'm more important that she is…"

The sound of silence when she closed the door was deafening.

_Sorry it's short… I'll make the next chapter longer. __ Well, reviews are nice friends, and a great way to bargain for a new chapter… anyone interested in what Booth's choice is, and better yet, want to take a guess at who he chooses. ?_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: You can't imagine how hard this chapter was to write… I felt sick too (you'll understand when you read it) I could physically feel the vomit rising in my throat. *coughs* I can't promise you anything but a happy ending. _

His might was made up before Hannah walked through the door.

Over in his mind, he had relived the memories of how it had been with Brennan, and how many times she had shot him down, in one way or another, she had more than made it clear she was not interested in a relationship with him. He knew that if he let Hannah walk away, he might very well resent Brennan for a long time, maybe causing irreparable damage to the bond that had formed. If he walked away now, with Hannah, he may very well have something to come back to… someday.

Hannah was a good person, who loved him. She had been patient, and kind, she had moved from her home to be with him in Washington, the least he could do was make the effort to repair the damage he was making to their relationship.

The door closed quietly behind her, and she met his eyes across the room, skeptically searching his face for a clue.

"Am I packing my bags?" she asked softly.

He smiled. "Only if I'm coming with you…"

It took a moment for the words to register and he had already reached her before she had the chance to walk to him. He pulled her gently to him and kissed her. It was not the same, he knew, it wasn't as powerful or as forceful as he knew it could be with another, but her lips parted beneath his and he enjoyed what he had.

"I love you," she smiled.

"Me too," he nodded.

He folded her into his arms and closed his eyes, wondering how on earth he was supposed to break the news to Brennan.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

His stomach was tight with knots when he woke the next morning. He knew that sooner or later he'd be called into work, a crime scene would insist on his presence and he would be faced with a conversation that he didn't want to have.

He lay there in the bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling, feeling another body next to him. He didn't turn his head to look at her, for some reason he didn't want to see her face, not then. Instead, he envisioned a face so familiar, a jaw line so strong, and eyes so mesmerizing he imagined galaxies. His heart gave a tug as he thought of her in all her glory and beauty, it physically hurt.

The beeping of his phone sent a chill down his spine. He sat up and reached for it. It was her.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah…" he answered.

"Booth, we have a crime scene!"

"Location?" he asked indifferently.

"Wong Fu's restaurant…" she told him.

He knew the place. "I'll be there soon."

He hung up and climbed out of bed. He took his time getting dressed knowing that a few minutes of delay would make no difference to the case, but a world of difference for him. The longer he could hold off from telling her their partnership was over, the more time his heart had of getting used to the idea.

When he saw her, his stomach ached.

"We have some lacerations to the body here," Brennan pointed to the right arm of the mutilated corpse that was singed beyond face recognition. "I estimate the body to be between the ages of 36 to 42. Male. Caucasian…" she rambled.

Booth's eyes scanned her face, and when she looked at him, he couldn't breathe.

"Booth, are you alright?" she frowned looking instantly concerned. "Your face is pale and you're holding your stomach… do you need a doctor?"

"No," he muttered. _I need to stop caring so much about you,_ he thought silently.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Bones, I'm sure…" he winced at the name he used, a reminder that he cared about her enough to give her a cute-pet name, as Hannah had pointed out.

Brennan shrugged and continued to doll out information regarding the remains, once she ordered the body back to the Jeffersonian, Booth pulled her aside. "We need to talk," he choked.

"About what?"

He shook his head. "Not here… do you want to go to Royal diner to grab a coffee," he suggested. "It's important."

"I have a body waiting for me to examine, Booth. Can't it wait?"

Bubbles swirled around in his stomach. "No."

Brennan hesitated. "Alright, but we have to make it quick!"

Booth followed Brennan's car to the Royal Diner, and they parked out the front, before walking in together. He found a table at the window, and ordered their drinks. Booth felt the vile rise in his throat. _I can't do this_, he thought silently.

"What do you need to discuss of such great importance?" she pressed.

He took a deep breath. "Us."

He waited for some kind of reaction, but as usual, her face was blank.

"Bones, I… I think it's best if we don't work together anymore," he said. Once the words were said, they left a gaping hole in his heart.

"I don't know what that means…" she replied, clearly confused.

"I think we should look for other partners," he told her. "I mean, I'll still work at the Jeffersonian and still be on the team, but-"

"But you don't want to work with me personally?" she challenged.

He lowered his head in shame, feeling like a jerk.

"Is it me? Did I do something… am I not giving you enough credit for your work, or-" she always thought she was fair when it came to credit. It was a fair give and take. An equal partnership!

"No," he denied. "It's got nothing to do with you… it's me… it's- I just think it's time to move on, you know… I think we've learnt a lot from each other, maybe all we can," he reasoned.

"Is this because I don't share the same values and beliefs that you do?" she questioned. She was trying to find a reason, trying to rationalize his choices. "Is this an argument between science and religion?"

"God, no!" he snapped. "I said it's NOT you."

"Then I don't understand…" she pressed her lips together in a tight line, and he knew that he had hurt her. She was trying to hold back the emotions of crying, tears that showed only when something deeply wounded her. Booth had deeply wounded her.

"We'll still be friends," he offered pathetically. "I'll see you every day at the Jeffersonian it's not going to be for-"

Brenna pushed back her chair and bolted for the door.

"BONES!" he called after her.

She was gone before he had a chance to follow.

_Did that hurt you as much as it hurt me? *cries* STUPID BOOTH! Another idiotic move on his part (okay, so I created this move, but still, he's a fictional character, meant to be puppet-ed)…_

_Now that I have to reaction I have been hoping for… I am going to be evil, and bribe you NO, not for a review here, but on another story of mine that seems to be getting nowhere. It's called Uncontaminated, it's based on the movie CARRIERS… take a look and leave a review, EVEN if you hate it, and I'll post the next chapter within 48 hours. Deal? _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: WOW… 40 reviews for two chapters… thank you everyone… this chapter is well deserved… from me to you. Here it is… :)_

The next time Booth entered the Jeffersonian, he wasn't expecting Angela to surprise him with a single hand to the back of the head. He flinched, as he spun around, angry that he had left himself unprotected, even if it were only for a minute.

"What?" he roared.

Angela raised her hands. "You want a new partner?" she questioned.

Booth's anger dropped. "Oh, that."

"Yes, THAT!" she snapped. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"It's the best thing for everyone," he muttered.

Angela's hand swiped the back of his head again, and he groaned with irritation. "BACK OFF!" he barked. "I'm not perfect. I'm being pulled two ways, I'm short of options here, Angela. What do you expect me to do?"

"Be a man!" she exclaimed.

He sighed heavily. "I understand you are Bones' friend. You want to protect her, and right now I'm the bad guy. I get that. I even respect it. But you know me… I don't do things without a good reason, especially where Bones is concerned. I wouldn't cut her out of my life if I had another choice."

She folded her arms across her chest.

"So what's the reason? And not the fabricated version you gave Bren, I want the truth."

He shook his head. It wasn't that easy.

"NOW?" she demanded.

"It's causing issues with Hannah," he expressed.

Angela laughed bitterly. "You've got to be kidding. That's it? This is about making Hannah feel better about herself, less competition that way, huh?"

"It's not like that," he denied. But he knew it was.

"This isn't you, Booth. Come on, when did you lose your…" she gestured downwards and suppressed the urge to grin. "Manly parts,"

Booth scowled. "I didn't lose anything!"

"You're losing Bren," she stated. "That's if you haven't already."

Her words made Booth stop.

"Do you have ANY idea what that girl is going through because of your FBI butt?" she accused.

Booth felt annoyed. "I made a choice."

"Well, it was the wrong one!"

"Angela, I can't afford to lose Hannah, and I'm sick to death of always coming off the bad guy. Why do I have to give up my life?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Do you have to be so dramatic? But giving up your entire partnership… come on, Booth, how can you not see that Hannah has you under her thumb."

"I HAVE to make this work," he stressed. Booth felt stuck between a rock and hard place, battling between his head and heart.

"Why?" she asked gently.

"Bones doesn't want me. I can't keep waiting around for her in vain hope that she MIGHT someday reciprocate my feelings. It's too hard, Angela. It hurts."

She suddenly lost her hostility, and titled her head sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't know it was this hard for you."

He shrugged. "I'm trying to keep my head above water. I love Hannah, I need to make this work, I'm afraid that if I can't make it work with her, I'll be…" he shook his head unable to finish his sentence.

"You couldn't make it with anyone," she guessed suddenly understanding his inner thoughts.

Booth shrugged, the building knots in his stomach causing an ill feeling. "Don't tell Bones," he begged. "Please…" after all that happened, he didn't want to hurt her anymore than he already had.

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," she nodded reaching out to hug him. "I promise."

_Did you like? Reviews tell me so…_

_Next chapter is about Bones and Angela… will she betray Booth's trust to make them reconcile?_

_Give me a review, I'll post the chapter… evil is me! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: You readers have all been fantastic. I made this story as a bribe, and it blew up in my face. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, since the response was so good. :)_

Brennan was quietly working on her computer when Angela made an appearance. She flopped down on the couch in her office and watched her work. Brennan clicked away, silently, for a few minutes before she looked up at her friend.

Angela instantly noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and her sympathy expanded. It was a complicated situation for all parties involved, she realized, and it hurt a lot of people.

"Sweetie," she posed. "When was the last time you slept?"

Brennan sighed and narrowed her eyes, a sad expression unhidden.

"Is this about Booth?" Angela asked, wishing she could break Booth's confidence and tell it like it was.

Darkness crossed her eyes and Angela didn't need an answer. Brennan leaned back in the swivel chair. "I feel nauseous, Angela. Every time I think of Booth and Hannah… every time I remember that he doesn't want to be my partner anymore… it hurts."

Angela felt her heart being pulled. "Oh, sweetie, I know."

A single tear slid down her face, and her friend watched with utter agony, knowing that this time she couldn't fix it.

"Why does he hate me?" she asked desperately.

Angela stood from the couch and went over to her desk, pulling an arm around her shoulder. "He doesn't hate you, Bren. I know you think he does but-"

"He does," she insisted. "I see the cold stare I get, the body language whenever he is near me. Ever since he came back with Hannah he hasn't been the same. He barely even makes eye contact. I know I must have done something to make him hate me, because-"

"He DOESN'T hate you," she stressed.

"Angela…"

Angela fought the urge to tell her the truth. She was obligated to Booth, and she knew that despite Brennan's pain, she wasn't ready to give Booth what he wanted. At the end of the day, they would be back where they started, and it wasn't enough for Booth. He was tired of waiting, tired of wondering if it was ever going to happen. "He doesn't hate you. I promise you that."

"Has he told you that?" Brennan asked her eyes pleading.

Angela could see that she was in pain, maybe more than Booth was, and it hurt her to see her friend this way. It tore at her heart. "He just sees things differently than you do, that's all," she reasoned. "But hate isn't something Booth could ever feel about you."

"Then why is he treating me this way?" she questioned.

"He doesn't know how else to handle it."

"Handle what?" she shrugged.

Angela couldn't give her anymore than that. It was all she could offer.

"What are you writing?" Angela asked desperate for a change of subject.

Brennan looked at the screen and sighed. "A letter to Booth."

"Can I read it?"

Brennan shrugged and stood from the chair, giving it over to her friend while she approached the couch, and took up Angela's spot, allowing her a moment as she read through the letter Brennan had typed on the computer.

**Dear Seeley Booth.**

**I know that something has changed between us. I know that I must have done something to highly offend you, that you have taken the drastic action of terminating our partnership. I'm sorry. Whatever it was that I have done, I am sincerely apologetic, deeply remorseful. Please Booth, it has taken you so long to gain my trust and I feel the walls sliding back over, trapping me behind them. It scares me. **

**I understand that Hannah is in your life, and she's a very respectable person. I even like her somewhat. But even when I was dating Sully, it didn't mean that I didn't need our friendship. I don't know if you realize how important our partnership is to me, and if you don't, I sincerely apologize for that. I should have told you more often. Is that what drove you away, Booth? Did I fail to mention how much you matter to me? **

**Sometimes I wish I wasn't a scientist. **

**Deepest Regards **

**Bones**

Angela wondered what she meant by sometimes I wish I wasn't a scientist, and she would have asked her, but when she turned to meet her eyes, she found Brennan was fast asleep.

She clicked the print button, took the page, folded it over and shoved it in her pocket. Who knew when it might come in handy?

_Hope you liked that chappie… a better one is coming… and now so is my bribe. _

_My reviews for __**you belong to me**__ are LAME, I want at least 6 before I upload the awesome next chapter I have ready and willing… I promise to upload the MINUTE I get the 6__th__ review, so don't go thinking someone else will review… remember, the quicker I get it, the quicker you get your next chapter. It'll be worth it I promise. :D_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: WOW… the response from you guys in this story has been incredible THANK YOU. I will stop bribing you, I promise… and so I bring you the next installment, deserved early. =)_

It was another restless night.

Ever since he ended his partnership with Brennan, he had got next to no moments of shut eye, and when he did, he woke it a sweat, after nightmares about Brennan and Hannah. He preferred to lay awake counting ceiling tiles.

This night seemed no different to any other. Hannah had been sleeping soundly beside him for more than two hours. It was late, as his mind wondered to Brennan. What was she doing? What she was thinking. He pictured her, the image of her instantly breaking his heart. She was crying… the tears that had slid down her face when she had run out of the diner, haunted him. Her hair… her soft silky brown hair that hung on her shoulders, he didn't even tell her that he liked her new haircut. He felt that gnawing stomach feeling again, like someone was pulling a tight rope inside his stomach. It hurt.

He was relieved when he heard a knock on the door. It didn't even register that it was nighttime and that the world should have been sleeping. He rose from the bed, careful not the wake a sleeping Hannah, and got up to answer the door.

He ran a hand through his hair, and turned the door knob, that gut feeling increasing more so when he saw that it was Brennan on the other side. The dark circles under her eyes, was evidence that she slept as much as he did. Her hair, the hair that he had grown so attached to, was on ends, unbrushed, giving him the impression she cared very little about her appearance.

"Bones," he said. "What are you-"

"I can't analyze the reason why you hate me so much," she stated matter-of-factly. It took a moment for the words to register in his mind. "Ang says you don't-"

"What did she say?" he demanded. Angela had promised not to say anything, and he trusted that.

Brennan looked hurt as she took a step back. "That you see things differently."

"That's all?"

"Yes. Why?"

He shook his head. "No reason."

"Why do you hate me?" she repeated.

"I don't hate you," his tone came out cold and indifferent.

"You're abrasive and cold and you don't even look at me, Booth, how can I not draw the conclusion that you hate me."

"You go by facts," he muttered.

"I don't know what that means…"

He rolled his eyes. The one time he didn't want to spell it out, she had to be clueless. "It means, that unless you have substantial evidence, you can't base my attitude on an emotion as strong as hate," he growled.

"Why are you raising your voice?" she asked looking surprised.

He didn't think anything about Hannah being asleep in the next room. He thought only of how hard it was standing before Bones, seeing the heartbreaking look in her eyes, the same look that seemed to mirror his own emotions. "Because this is stupid!"

"Alright, I'm sorry," she couldn't stop the tears falling down her face. "I miss you…"

"What?" her words pulled him up, and he felt a stabbing in the center of his chest. Brennan didn't express her emotions. He had to be hearing her wrong. Lack of sleep was making him conquer up words she didn't say.

"It's an irrational thought," she said. "I know that, and you're here, it's not like when you were in Afghanistan. But it's not the same, Booth, what we have, we don't have the same relationship we used to have."

Booth knew that already. He shrugged trying desperately to be indifferent. It was a choice he had to make, and he figured it was easier to cut her off now. "It's the way it has to be."

"Why?"

"Because I have Hannah now!" he snapped.

"You can't have both?" Brennan was trying desperately to understand his reasoning.

"NO! I can't have both." He said, the knots in his stomach rising to his chest.

"Is this about Hannah feeling inadequate because-"

"NO, Bones, it's about YOU."

"What did I do wrong?" she sighed.

It hurt too much. "Nothing…" he mumbled. That was exactly the point.

"Booth…"

"Just LEAVE it!"

Brennan took another step back, widening the already expanded gap between them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I'm sorry."

She turned to leave then, and something inside him snapped. He couldn't let her leave without letting her know that what she felt, he felt too. He missed her with the same intensity, his sleepless nights reflecting her own, the pain that she felt, he felt too. Brennan reached the front curb.

"I miss you too," he called.

She stopped and turned around to meet his eyes, hers full of tears. "Okay," she responded.

For a long time they stood there watching each other, before Booth made his next move to follow her outside. He crossed the yard to where she stood and pulled her into his embrace, bridging the gap and holding her tightly. She sobbed against him, as she had many times on case, when she had felt heartbroken, anxious or scared. He folded his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer and smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo… he'd missed that too, more than he was willing to admit. He closed his eyes, feeling the protectiveness toward her, creeping over him once again. Only this time, he knew the pain she was in, was caused entirely by his actions.

There was very little he hadn't missed about her.

A sharp sound caused them to both jump, stepping away from each other, Booth looking almost guilty when he saw that it was Hannah.

"Hello, Hannah…" Brennan greeted.

The girl she had met once or twice didn't seem to be the same friendly girl standing before her, there was something sharp and cold about her now, and it showed even more so when she opened her mouth. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I come by to see Booth," she said simply. "I needed to ask him something."

Hannah glared at Booth. If looks could kill, he would have been another corpse in the lab. "And of course you couldn't tell her to go home." Hannah looked at her watch. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

Booth shuffled his feet. "It was about the case."

"Booth," Brennan frowned. Why didn't he tell her the truth?

"You should go home now, Bones. I'll see at work tomorrow," he told her.

"Alright," she nodded.

She made her exit, leaving Booth to battle Hannah alone.

_Hahahaha… did you know how much that hurt to write? ARGH! It might be my mood, but I felt Brennan's pain, and when she cried I cried… ARGH! She was so full of emotion… and so clueless. Did anyone else get that, or is it just me? _

_Reviews are nice *shrugs* just sayin'…_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: The reviews have been incredible. This story was… just a bit of fun… so THANK you all for been loyal and sticking with it. Enjoy the next chapter =)_

Brennan was ready to question him the moment he walked into the Lab the following morning. She had gone home, and still gained no slumber. She had tossed and turned over the last few hours, and wondered what had possessed Booth to lie to Hannah about why Brennan had shown up on the doorstep. She couldn't fathom a reason good enough to consider a lie.

She had wondered into work in the early hours of the morning, working on a limbo case.

She heard Angela address Booth's name, and her ears pricked up, she was instantly alert.

"Goodmorning, Ang," he greeted.

"Hi," her tone was off, but Brennan barely noticed.

She stood from the floor in her office and came out to greet him.

"Hi Booth," she smiled standing in the door way.

He stiffened when he looked up to see her.

"Oh, hey…" he looked at Angela. "Got anything you need from me today?"

Angela frowned at his reaction to her friend. "No…" she answered.

"Alright. I got things to do, catch ya later… ring me if you need me."

"Booth?" Brennan called.

He stopped but clearly out of obligation.

"Can I have a word?" she asked. Brennan wanted to ask him about the unnecessary lie. She didn't understand his hostility.

"I'm busy," he shrugged. "Can we do it later?"

Brennan felt like someone stabbed her physically with a dagger, piercing her heart. It hurt. She rejected the feeling and met Booth's eyes, staring him down. "No, we can't wait…"

He groaned with annoyance. "Fine, what?"

Booth crossed his arms and waited.

Brennan didn't like his behavior, but she had other important issues she wanted to discuss with him. "Why did you lie to Hannah about my reason for being there last night?" she demanded.

He hesitated.

"Booth?" she pushed.

He took a deep breath. "Hannah's making it difficult, Bones, alright?" his tone came out harsher than he intended, surprising himself more than he surprised Brennan.

"Difficult how?" she questioned.

"Do we have to do this NOW?" he snapped.

"Yes," Brennan shot back. "Communicate with me, Booth… what is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he shrugged.

"You're lying!" she stated. "You taught me to read body language, Booth and-"

Booth took a deep breath and met her eyes. "Hannah asked me to choose, Bones, alright? She asked me to choose between a partnership with you and a life with her…"

The puzzle clicked on. "Oh," she nodded.

"I have to do it," he explained. "I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for something to happen… I have to keep her, Bones, because she gave up a life in New York for me. I owe her this. I'm not cutting you off, I'm just-"

"I understand," she told him. And she did. She understood that he had to move on, and this was his way of trying to do that, she had told him she couldn't give him anything more than what she had before, and now this was the outcome. She understood. It hurt like hell, and she felt both abandoned and rejected, but she knew that Booth owed himself a chance at happiness, and if Hannah was his happiness then she wouldn't stand in the way.

"Bones, I…"

"Please," she interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I do understand. I wish you happiness, Booth. If Hannah can make that possible, I won't make things more difficult. I'll step away. I'll find a new partner…" she told him.

The devastation was evident on her face.

"Does it have to be this way?" he asked desperately running a hand through his hair. "Can't I just have you both… the way I already have?"

"Hannah doesn't seem to think so," Brennan answered. "And she's important to you. I have to get back to work."

"Bones…" he called as she walked back into the office.

Brennan didn't stop and turn around. There wasn't much else to say.

_I know it's VERY angst-y… sorry about that… I'll make it better by the end. I promise. MIGHT have to put up with a little more though… for those of you who want a happy ending, it will come. =) Eventually…_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Enter problems… hehehehe… LOVE it when the love-life of part of OUR duo isn't working, makes you realize that B&B are meant for each other, even David & Emily are shippers… and THAT'S saying something, speaking of, aren't they just perfect off-screen? =)_

The tension was more than Booth could bear at times. Instead of bringing them closer together, Booth found that the Ultimatum had torn them apart slightly, and what hadn't been torn apart was making its way there. The hole in their relationship was widening, and Booth didn't like it. He was slowly beginning to resent her. His job was nothing short of boring, without his partner, without the squints, and since they were all siding with Brennan on the issue of fault, it made things difficult for him to work with them. It was nothing like it used to be, and no one was pretending to be professional, except Cam, which still brought him little comfort.

"Want to watch a movie?" Hannah asked one night after dinner.

"Nuh," he muttered.

"Why?" she nagged.

"I'm tired," he snapped.

"You're always tired these days," she muttered.

"Whose fault is that?" he groaned. He didn't realize what he'd said until the words were out, and even then, he wasn't sure he wanted to take them back.

Hannah folded her arms across her chest. "What does that mean?"

"It means work sucks!" he roared. "It's NO fun, it's tiring. I'm beat when I get home. I work alone, Hannah, no one else wants to work with me. It's making things hard, my work load is heavier, and so when I get home I don't want to watch a stupid movie. I want to sit quietly."

Hannah was speechless. "Fine," she walked from the room, causing the guilt to rise in Booth.

He sighed heavily. Was he supposed to go back to her and apologize, was this where he was supposed to be the alpha-male and make things all better? Booth felt drained. This relationship was taking its toll. Why, despite Brennan's cluelessness, and naivety did he never feel drained when they were together, it was quite the opposite, he felt both refreshed and up-built. It was easy to be with Brennan, like climbing into bed after an exhausting day… like ice-cream on the 4th of July… why didn't Hannah make him feel that way?

He cared about her, of course he did. He had made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up his partnership with his best friend, what else did she expect of him? He was only one man. But as he analyzed the situation, he could see that Hannah was trying to, she was making an effort and he was blowing her off.

He stood from the recliner he'd positioned himself in and wondered into the bedroom, where he found Hannah face down on the bed. He flinched. He hadn't meant to hurt her. Booth approached the bed, and lay a gently hand on her back.

"Hannah," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

She sat up and looked at him, showing the tears that had fallen. Now he _really _felt bad.

"Oh, Han," he smiled weakly. "I'm a jerk, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I still love you…"

Booth nodded. "I don't really deserve that, do I?"

Hannah shrugged. "You called me Han," she told him. "You haven't called me that since Afghanistan."

Booth lifted a finger and wiped the damp wetness from her cheek. "Han," he repeated.

She smiled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you, and I know we're both trying here… and, it just might take a bit of time that's all," he suggested. "I'll try harder."

"Me too," she promised.

He kissed with softly. "How 'bout that movie, what did you have in mind?"

Hannah took his hand and they climbed off the bed, wondering into the loungeroom. "Mr. Fix it…"

He hated that movie. It was about some guy who tricked women to return to their ex-boyfriends once he had shown them a piece of 'how bad it could be'. It was some romantic chick-flick. "I _LOVE_ that movie," he winked.

Hannah set it up, and the two of them settled down to watch the film. Hannah snuggled up to him. As the credits began, he thought of Brennan, what was she doing tonight?

_I used Mr. Fix it as part of my stupid sense of humor… it actually is a good movie… eye candy and who doesn't want to watch MR. DAVID BOREANAZ take his shirt off, and do a little dance… oh la, la… =)_

_Also, I wanted to give you guys a taste of what it IS like… and overall, Booth is a gentleman, a good guy, though at times he's a jerk, underneath that HOT body, he's just a big softly. I didn't think that he would be all that mean to Hannah. But don't worry I'm still a Hannah-hater! =) _


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I was thinking about something, and how everyone said that Booth was a jerk, cause he wouldn't even look at bones. How hard would that have been for him to film… just think, Emily is like his best friend and he loves her to pieces, he'd never hurt her. I know he's only acting, but to see her face fall cause 'Booth' had hurt her, man… I could image he'd be like 'I love you Em, I didn't mean it' as soon as the take was over, just to reassure her. Do you know what I mean? =)_

_Okay, back to the story… now it gets better… this one has a nice B&B moment… enjoy =)_

"Here is all you need," Angela said thrusting a file at him.

Booth frowned. "That's it, we're not even going to discuss the case, what about Bones?" he had been missing her more and more, the time spent away from her had not been easy, each moment that he knew he should have been with her, brought those knots to his stomach.

Angela shrugged. "Brennan is in pain," she stated. "It hurts her every time you walk into the Jeffersonian. The less you're here, the better." She turned to walk away.

"Angela…" Booth felt that piercing pain again, and winced as he held his stomach. He didn't want Brennan to hurt, and more than that he hated that he was the one hurting her.

She stopped and looked back, folding her arms across her chest. "You made this choice, Booth. I'm sorry, Bren is my friend…"

"I thought I was your friend too?" he challenged.

"You are… but you're the one hurting her."

Booth nodded. He understood.

He turned to leave, the file gripped in his hands. He was beginning to feel lost, like a deep hole was cut in him, and only when she was around, when he was looking at Brennan, did it close over. He stopped by the entrance to her office, and contemplated an idea. _What she didn't know wouldn't hurt_… and maybe by doing this, he could start to heal himself, and close over that hole in his heart.

He stepped into the office.

"Hey Bones…" he greeted cautiously.

She stiffened at the sound of his voice, and took a moment before she turned to look at him. "Hello," her voice was impassive.

"Bones, I…" Booth stood awkwardly; he would have liked to know what to say or how to act. But Brennan's body language was off putting, it was hard to be comfortable when her walls of defense were so high. But his determination won over in the end.

"What do you want, Booth?" her tone unusually distant.

_You_, he thought silently. "I want to… would you maybe consider grabbing a bite to eat, at the diner…" he shifted his feet.

She glared at him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "You have to eat."

"Not with you," she answered coolly.

Booth felt a stab in his chest, one he knew was well deserved. He had hurt her, when he threw away their partnership, and she didn't have to give him anything now. He didn't blame her for her abrasive attitude. He didn't hide his disappointment, and Brennan saw it, a flash of pain that crossed his eyes.

Despite her own hurt, she didn't want to see that look on his face, she had seen it one too many times, each time that she shot him down, each time walked away from him when he had wanted something more than what she was offering. It hurt her, to see that look.

"Isn't that against the rules?" she challenged him.

He shrugged. "I miss you too much to care."

"Alright," she agreed feeling a hope surge through her. "I'll go…"

He nodded weakly. "Honest?"

"I don't know what that means."

"Never- nevermind," he smiled. "Let's go."

As they walked out of the Jeffersonian together, what no one noticed was Hannah, standing in the corner watching them, looking slightly lost and visibly heartbroken.

_You have NO idea what I have in store for you… its different… its deadly… its psychotic… let's just call it a little bit of fun… _

_Care to take a guess at where I'm taking it. =) _


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Don't know what you guys will think of this chapter... it's a little angst-y, I guess, but more twisty in my opinion… and a nice cliff-hanger for you… enjoy =)_

Hannah knew she was at a loss, as she watched her live-in boyfriend walked out with HER. She knew that she couldn't compare to Temperance Brennan, she'd known it all along, ever since Seeley had mentioned her name in Afghanistan, and that smile had passed his lips.

She had tried, determined to win his heart, believing if she loved him enough, he'd stop thinking of Brennan. But her attempt was in vain, as she'd come to realize, for he wasn't letting go of his partner.

With a heavy heart, she turned and walked out of the Lab. She dragged her feet as she wondered into the parking lot to retrieve her car, as she contemplated her next move. Hannah had given Booth an Ultimatum, choose between her and Brennan, and he'd evidently chosen Brennan, leaving Hannah without options.

Booth wanted her, his partner, the woman who intrigued him with talk of science, and naïve questions she didn't understand the answers to. How was Hannah supposed to compete with that?

Finally, she knew what she had to do.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Look at me, Bones," he urged touching her chin ever so lightly with his finger. She resisted him, fear evident on her face. She was afraid of him, and the moment he realized that he withdrew his hand from her face. "I won't- I would never hurt you, Bones," hurt that she could be afraid of him.

She rolled her eyes. "You already did," she admitted timidly.

His heart ached at her confession.

"I didn't- I didn't mean to," he told her guiltily.

She looked up and met his eyes. "Why did you abandon me?" she asked her eyes full of pain. The way she saw it, it was no different to what her father had done, or anyone else that wondered in and out of her life. Nothing and no one was permanent, and she saw that now, with Booth. She had once believed he would be the only one to keep his promise, that he would move the earth to stay with her, but her naivety to that was set straight.

Brennan would always be abandoned.

"I trusted you, Booth. I believed you when you said there were two types of family… how can I trust you now?"

"I never abandoned you," he said. "I came back. I always come back. There is nothing in the world that could make me walk away from you."

"Except Hannah," she said quietly. "You preferred to choose Hannah over our partnership and I DO understand," she assured him. "But I won't play second, Booth. I won't allow you to use me…"

He nodded. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"

She nodded gently. "I fail to see any other way to word it. Against Hannah's demand you invite me here, but you terminate our working relationship."

"I made a mistake," he whispered.

Brennan looked away from him. it was too easy to fall back into old habits, too easy to allow herself to fall for his charm and his one-liners that had the potential to throw her into an abyss of confusion. She had to keep her walls of defense up. She had to be on guard at all times.

"Bones, I…" he would have liked to promise her the world, promise he'd never hurt her again, promise to be her partner, her friend, her family, instead he lowered his head and said nothing.

"I'm going home," Brennan announced standing from her stool at the bar. He followed her lead.

"Let me take you," he offered.

She started to shake her head, but Booth took hold of her shoulders and forced eye contact.

"Okay," she agreed.

The drive to her apartment was quite, neither of them said a word. Booth pulled up to her apartment and insisted on walking to her to door, as she unlocked it, she found herself visibly shaking. She looked up at him, unable to hide the sadness from her eyes. His heart broke. He couldn't leave it like this.

"Let me see you again," he pleaded.

"Booth, no…"

"Please," he begged.

She sighed and nodded. She walked into her apartment feeling like the other woman in a game of infidelity, except she was gaining nothing. She knew then, that the statement of 'I won't allow you to use me' had been a waste of breath, for she had agreed to his terms, his way, as long as he was a part of her life somehow.

As Booth opened the door to the apartment, he now shared with Hannah, he was surprised at what he found, what he saw rocked him to his very soul.

_As I wrote that last line, I can only imagine how many people thought "YAY, SHE KILLED HERSELF" sorry to disappoint you, that's NOT it… but nice try. =) Care to take another guess? _

_Reviews are great incentives for quicker uploads *shrugs* just sayin' is all… _


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I am thankful to you guys for your patience in uploading this chapter. I have been sick something chronic… laying in bed for days, staring at the ceiling. I have been without energy, and without my own computer. So, while I am STILL without my own computer, I managed to transfer this chapter to a USB and made an effort JUST for you guys to have this chapter uploaded. BUT… it comes at a price, and no, I won't beg for reviews this time… it just means being patient again until I'm better before I write the next one… I'm usually a few ahead, but sickness caught up and so did the chapters. Anyway, I FINALLY bring you what lay's behind the door. _

_Enjoy =) _

For the sixth time that week, Booth walked into his apartment, smiling. The weight of the world seemed to disappear when he was alone with Brennan, which in the last few weeks had been almost every night after work. His mood had certainly changed.

He pushed open the door.

Booth had to look twice to realize that the woman standing in his loungeroom was Hannah Burley.

"Hannah, what-" he was stunned at what he saw. Her once golden-blonde curls had been traded in for short straight brown hair, with a short fringe. Her new image looking slightly familiar, it didn't take long for him to fit the pieces together, to discover WHY she looked so familiar. Her new hair style changed her entire face.

She smiled nervously. "Do you like it, Seeley?"

A chill ran down his spine.

"I er… what- why did you change it?" he asked unable to form an opinion she wanted to hear. This was FAR too weird, even for Booth.

"I thought you'd like it," her eyes clouded over with tears. She looked disappointed. Booth felt a tinge of guilt, before the anger. How did women manage to make men fold by a single tear? He didn't understand it.

"I do," he assured her taking her hand in his own. "I just- I liked the way you had it before. It was you Hannah, it was who YOU are!"

"I wanted a change," she said.

"But this kind of change?' he challenged. It was weird looking at her. He got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Hannah shrugged. "What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing, I just…"

"You don't like it!" she accused.

"Hannah-"

"NO!" she screamed. "I don't want to talk to you. I cut off my hair and styled it FOR YOU, you don't appreciate ANYTHING!" she stalked out of the room then, leaving Booth stunned and alone. This time he didn't have the strength to go after her and make things better.

Hannah was acting weird. She had drastically changed her image, to resemble someone else… someone that Booth admired and adored, someone that Booth cared deeply for, and Hannah was well aware of that fact.

Now, he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it.

He needed help.

He dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone, before going straight to speed dial.

_Hahaha, YES, I am trying something DIFFERENT! I hope I have surprised you all, because that is FUN, FUN, FUN… sorry its short, but thems the breaks. Reviews are appreciated and so are you thoughts on this =)_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: WOW as usual I have a brilliant fan base for this story… thank you each and every one of you. I am slowly on the mend, so thank you all for your kind words of "get well soon", and it also means that I might upload faster, depending on how I feet, but as for now I leave you with chapter 11… who did Booth call? Read on to find out…_

Booth was still shaking his head with the confusion of it all, as he took his position on the bar stool in the ROYAL DINER. He drummed his fingers on the bench, as he waited for Brennan to meet him as they arranged. He had to know what was going on with Hannah, and his head space was too clouded to think of anyone but Brennan. She'd know what to do. He was sure of it.

He was too stressed to order pie when the waitress came to take his order. He just asked for a bottle of water. Brennan arrived, as he sipped on his glass.

"Hey. You sounded really anxious on the phone," he observed. As she looked down at him, after taking her seat, she saw that his tone matched his expression. Something was VERY wrong. "Booth…"

"She's flipped out, Bones. Hannah she… she's started dressing like…"

Brennan frowned. "Like whom?"

He shook his head again, the image of Hannah burned into his brain.

"Booth, are you alright?"

"Not really," he confessed. "I don't know what to do, Bones. Hannah is gone to extremities, to get my attention; she'd gone so far as changing her appearance."

"What's wrong with that?" she questioned.

"Nothing, except that she looks like… you."

Brennan frowned. "She changed her appearance to resemble me?"

"Yes," he nodded.

Brennan pounded this thought. "Hannah is severely unhinged, Booth… she's obviously having a psychotic break. You need to talk to Sweets… do you think she'd hurt you?" she asked with slight panic as she remembered Pam stalking Booth to the point of a shoot-out.

"I don't think so," he smiled encouragingly instantly understanding where her fear was coming from. "It's gonna be okay. She's not… she's not Pam."

Brennan nodded. "I still think you should talk to Sweets."

"Okay," he promised. "I'll go do that. You wanna come?"

Brennan shook her head.

Booth understood. Just because something's had changed, didn't mean everything had. It was going to take time for Booth and Brennan to get back to old routines.

Booth left Brennan then and went in search to find Sweets.

He flopped down on the couch in the psychiatrist's office a while later.

"Dr. Brennan said that you were having trouble with Hannah," Sweets inquired. There was a quizzical look on his face that made Booth tense. The twelve year old was thinking there was an underlying problem involving Brennan, not that he was wrong, but Booth would hate to prove him right in any situation.

"No," he corrected. "Not in the way you think… just that… well she has sort of… she changed her image a little… or a lot maybe." He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"What do you mean changed her image?" he challenged. "Plastic surgery?"

He shivered at the thought of Hannah changing her appearance even more so.

"No," he shook his head. "She cut her hair, and had it dyed and styled and…"

"Do you not like her new appearance, Agent Booth?"

"It's not hers…" he confessed.

"What's not hers?"

"The appearance, she looks like… she changed herself to look like Bones."

Sweets gasped and smiled as he leaned back in his chair, gathering the information in his head. "Wow… that is… BIG!"

"Yes, well tell me what to do about."

"Clearly, she needs psychological help!" he stated.

Booth rolled her eyes. "You think?" his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is that what I'm supposed to say? 'Excuse me, Hannah dear, I think you're a little crazy,'"

Sweets smiled with amusement. "I wouldn't think that be very effective, Agent Booth. I would suggest you take a more tactful approach. When dealing with the mentally challenged you need to keep in mind that they think they are completely rational."

"So what do I do?" he asked again, looking desperate.

"There's an obvious underlining problem here, Agent Booth, and your job is to find out what that is."

He rolled his eyes in reply. "Great, like life's not already full, you're sending me off to do homework?" he mocked.

"It maybe something as simple as hearing her out, and applying what she needs."

Booth thought about that. "What if what Hannah needs, is more than I have to give?"

Sweets nodded. "It's a large possibility."

"So basically you got nothing," he groaned.

Sweets shrugged and Booth left his office more depressed than when he arrived.

_So there you have it… another chapter done. Now Booth is OFF to face Hannah and her odd obsession with Bones… =) reviews are sweet… and I don't mean the psychiatrist. =) _


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Okay. Here comes the next chapter… be ready for Hannah… is all I'm sayin' =)_

It re-shocked him when he walked into his apartment and looked at Hannah. He was almost surprised to see that she resembled Brennan, hoping in vain that while he was out, she had gone to great lengths to bring back who she was, her own image, her own luscious blonde hair. No luck.

"Hi Seeley," she smiled in that flirty way she did.

He winced. "Hey, Hannah. Did you enjoy your day?" he asked making conversation. He wanted to appear as normal as possible.

She beamed at his question. "I did. I congregated some bones and identified some remains I found on the beach…" she explained.

"How- how did you do that?" a chill ran down his spine.

"It was an animal carcass."

Hannah was drawing an all new low. Booth was afraid for her. When they'd met, she had appeared normal. There were no tell-tale signs that she was going to suddenly flip out at any given moment. He almost wondered if it was a mistake coming home.

He shook his head silently to himself, no, he needed to be home. He needed to see Brennan, as much as he wanted to stay away, as hard as it was for him, he knew that being without her was harder. No matter what he told everyone else, no matter what he told himself, he knew. Booth knew that he was happier when he was home in D.C with Brennan. _His_ Bones.

"Do you want to see it?" Hannah 0asked with a beaming smile. She looked like a proud parent wanting to show a video of their child walking.

Booth shuddered.

"You have it with you?" he asked.

"Of course," she nodded. She turned to leave the room, and Booth stood there dumb-founded. She was collecting animal carcasses.

Sweets voice echoed in his head._There's an obvious underlining problem here, Agent Booth, and your job is to find out what that is._

What underlying reason? He wondered. She was acting like Brennan. She was acting like- could it be that simple, was her problem jealousy towards Dr. Brennan. Did she feel inferior to her on an intellectual level? Booth shook his head. It couldn't be that simple. It wasn't enough to tip someone like Hannah Burley over the edge.

Hannah returned with a bloody carcass under her arm, unbothered by the blood stains on her t-shirt. He flinched and took a step back. The carcass was obviously that of a k-9. Booth had to hold his breath, so that he didn't gag from the smell. It was one thing dealing with bodies in the Lab, that was becoming part of his job at the Jeffersonian, but it was quite another to be faced with a dead animal.

"Hannah did you… did you- you didn't kill the animal did you?" he stammered.

She frowned. "Of course, I did. I had to examine the remains. You would be proud of me, Seeley. I identified them with the same expertise as Dr. Brennan."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Hannah… oh God…"

"What's wrong Seeley, aren't you proud?" she showed an expression of disappointment, causing the guilt to rise in Booth once again.

"Proud?" he repeated. NO, you weird woman, I'm not proud. I'm freaked out. You're insane. You killed a dog to identify its remains. You changed your appearance to resemble my partner. NO, I'm not proud.

Hannah waited for him to say yes, her eyes watching him intently.

"Hannah, babe, I think… I think we might need to take a trip," he suggested. He needed to get her to a shrink, or a pyhc ward, whatever was closer, he concluded.

Hannah blinked. "No. I can't go anywhere right now; I have things to do around here… I have things to identify. Aren't you going to help?" she asked as if she expected nothing less.

"No, Hannah. I'm not." His voice was gentle, but firm enough for her to know that she wouldn't be persuaded.

Disappointment clouded her eyes once again.

"I must go see Dr. Brennan," she announced suddenly.

Booth felt his chest tighten. Hannah was in no stable condition to meet Brennan. He would let NO harm come to his partner, especially when his girlfriend was so far out of control, it scared him. No ma'am.

"She's busy," Booth panicked.

"Nonsense, Seeley, she would LOVE to see me… we have a common interest, you know… identifying remains," she leaned over and kissed his cheek. He flinched. "I'll be back later, babe." She waved as she headed out the door, leaving a stunned Booth standing in the middle of the room.

_Ohhhh… are you scared yet? Lol! I would be!_

_Reviews are nice… just sayin' is all. _


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Everyone seemed to think Hannah was insane in the last chapter… well; I have no intention of her hurting Brennan… YET! I may change my mind, but I will warn you in advance. Right now, I just want to have fun with this character. THINK Barbra Jean of __**REBA**__… did anyone ever watch that show? =)_

Booth frantically dialed Brennan's phone number. No answer. His stomach filled with fear at the prospect of something happening to his partner. Was Hannah so out of control that she would HURT Brennan? He prayed that she didn't. He cursed himself for the delay, and kicked himself for letting her walk out the door. Shock had taken over. He scrolled down his iphone, searching for Angela's number, and called her. It rang out.

"Damn," he muttered as he slammed the door of his SUV and started the engine.

Maybe with some luck he'd get there before Hannah got to Brennan.

… …. … … … … … … …

"Dr. Brennan!" a voice called.

Brennan snapped her head up. It was late, and she was working alone in the Jeffersonian. No one else was supposed to be here. No else had the same permission to be on the grounds that Brennan did. There should be no reason anyone else should be in the Lab. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it straight away.

The footsteps increased and Hannah Burley poked her head around the corner.

"You don't have authorization to be in here," she pointed out bluntly.

Hannah waved a hand as if waving off that fact. "Never mind that," she said. "I brought something for you to examine…"

Brennan frowned.

"Where's Booth?" she asked feeling a strange sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was definitely off with Hannah. Something wasn't normal.

"I left him home," she smiled. "I did tell you that we should do something just the two of us, without Booth… I ditched him, like I said I would. Friends are important too…" Hannah pointed out.

"I don't know what that means."

Hannah laughed at Brennan's naivety. "We are best friends, silly." She giggled like a five year old causing Brennan to shift her feet uncomfortably, and steadied herself against the examination table, as if that would protect her from this woman who thought they were buddy-buddy.

"No we're not," Brennan stated bluntly. "That's an incorrect assumption. To make that statement, one would first have to assume we spend large quantities of time together and reach out to each other in times of need," she corrected. _Like me and Booth_, she thought silently, _or even Angela_.

"Aren't we doing that now," Hannah challenged holding up a potato sack with the dead carcass inside. "I am coming to you for help in identifying remains…"

Brennan didn't like the sound of that. "You're not part of the Jeffersonian team. I don't work with you, Hannah."

Hannah seemed unbothered by her bluntness. "You wouldn't even do it to help out your BEST friend?" she batted her eyelashes and held her stare.

"We're not friends," she insisted. "At most we are acquaintances."

"Oh come on," Hannah insisted. "We're much more than that. I invited you to hang out, and you smiled, that was a clear sign you approved. I know these things…"

"I was merely being polite for Booth's sake," she said.

"We don't need Booth to be BEST friends," she smiled.

Brennan was growing frustrated.

"We're not friends, Hannah. Now excuse me, I have work to do."

"But I have to show you this," Hannah held up the sack, and then tipped it out onto the examination table, scattering the already human bones across the table.

Brennan stepped back at the sight of the dead canine.

"What are you doing?" she snarled. "Get that animal OFF the examination table! You're contaminating my evidence!"

Hannah shrugged. "I need some help… how did the dog die?"

"Hannah… I will NOT examine a canine. My area of expertise is human bones. Now I will ask you one last time, to remove yourself from the premises or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands."

Hannah shrugged as if Brennan had declined a dinner invitation because she had plans.

"I will be sure to come back later," she waved as she headed out of the Lab.

Brennan stood staring after her, confusion evidently written across her face.

_Well… what do you think of that? Reviews would be appreciated… =)_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Glad you all like the direction I'm taking. I know that it's easier to HATE Hannah this way, which is always fun, and for those who haven't seen it, you HAVE to watch that You tube on E &D called __**Emily Deschanel & David Boreanaz Comic Con Interview**__ I can't send you the link, cause whenever I try, it never works for me. Lol. But if you haven't seen it, it is the CUTEST thing in the world. =)_

Brennan made it a point to speak to security, since Hannah had found a way into the Jeffersonian so easily. Security promised to do something about that, agreeing to step up and make sure no one could go through without a pass.

She was returning to the examination table in the Lab, to clean up the mess that Hannah had made when she had contaminated the evidence, when Booth came charging through the door.

"Bones," he gasped, looking relieved at the mere sight of her. He rushed to her and pulled her lab coat, bringing her into his arms for a brief hug. She was startled at first, and tensed until she realized that there was no danger, and then allowed herself to sink into the hug, and she responded by bringing her arms around his neck. He brought his lips to her forehead, and brushed them lightly on her skin. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his affection, for only a moment before he stepped back.

"Are you okay?" he demanded.

"Yes," she smiled. "What's wrong?"

The panic on his face caused her heart to quicken.

"Did Hannah come here?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Did she hurt you?"

"No," Brennan denied. "Of course not, but she was acting most peculiar. Booth, I regret to inform you that Hannah needs serious psychological help!"

Booth ran a hand through his hair. "I know," he agreed.

"You do?" Brennan questioned. She was expecting to have to argue the point with him, before he actually agreed.

"Yes. But she didn't hurt you?" he wanted reassurance.

Brennan smiled encouragingly. "No, Booth, she didn't hurt me. She did however bring in a dead carcass, she wanted me to examine. She seems to believe that she and I are best friends," Brennan frowned at this, still confused by what had happened.

"Damn…" he groaned. "It's worse than I thought. She's completely flipped out, Bones. I don't know what to do. I mean, Sweets told me I have to find an underlining reason so that we can determine-"

"I think this situation is well beyond that, Booth. She needs help."

"I agree," he nodded. "But do I do? How do I get her to see someone? Sweets maybe?"

Brennan thought about it. "Is he qualified in that area?"

"I think so," he shrugged.

"Talk to him…" she suggested.

Booth nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. It wasn't going to be easy to persuade Hannah to see Sweets, or to admit that some screw was loose in her head, but he was going to try.

"Listen, until we get things sorted with Hannah, I don't want you to be alone… make sure that security is here at ALL times, and Hannah is-"

Brennan held up a hand in defense. "I spoke to security already. The problem has been addressed."

"Good," he sighed. "So you can't ever be alone here… just in case."

"I can take care of myself," she declined.

"Bones," he warned.

"Alright," she nodded. "Do you think she's capable of…"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I know you can take care of yourself and you have a black belt and all that, but the mentally… challenged are unpredictable."

"I know that," she said.

"Alright…" he looked at her for a moment as if wanting to tell her something else, but the flash of whatever he wanted to discuss vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Booth announced his departure. "I'm gonna go see Sweets and find Hannah."

"Be careful," she warned. "You said so yourself that she's unpredictable."

Booth grinned playfully. "Are you worried about me, Bones?"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I have work to do… can we resume this conversation at a later date?"

"Sure, Bones," he smiled. "Why not?"

He was smiling as he exited the Lab.

_Sorry about the short chapter again, but you know me… never did have a long attention span, and I can get quite impatient, since I LOVE uploading. =). _

_I love B&B moments… review if you have something to add… or a comment to share… or just because you can. I think this is my subtle way of asking for a review. Lol. I never was too good at subtle =)_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I have to take a moment to say THANK YOU, immeasurably to all those out there, who alerted, reviewed and favorite-d. I am SO grateful. I had a goal, and thanks to each and every one of you, I reached it. This is now my most appreciated story on FF. I like to keep my work original. I like to have some twists and surprises in there, but I ALWAYS have a happy ending, because there isn't enough of it in the world. I just… I'm SO appreciative of every reader that has taken the time to look at my work… thank you… just… THANK YOU!_

_I bring you the next chapter. =)_

Booth pushed open the door of Sweets office and barged in unannounced.

"Agent Booth?" Sweets looked up from the case file in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Hannah!" he stated.

Sweets seemed to smile.

"Oh, I take it you found an underlining reason for her behavior…" he looked pleased with himself as he put his hand up to stop Booth from saying again. "Before you go on, I want you to know that I could have addressed the issue instantly, but I felt it was more beneficial to you that you find out yourself. It would also help your relationship blossom with Dr. Brennan. So before you get defensive and angry just remember-"

"Hey! _Little boy_, STOP talking!" Booth demanded. "I never found out the underlining reason for Hannah's crazy weird thing… and Bones has NOTHING to do with it."

"Of course she does," Sweets confirmed.

"Sweets…" Booth was using his warning tone.

Sweets sat back in his chair with a sour look on his face, waiting for Booth to correct him.

"Hannah somehow got into the Jeffersonian late one night, when Bones was working," he shivered at the mere thought of what _could_ have happened to his partner if Hannah wasn't at least partially under control of her actions.

"Is she alright?" Sweets sat up suddenly on alert.

"Yes," he nodded. "No thanks to your brilliant advice. Listen, she's nuts. Hannah is killing animals and doing autopsies on them… she thinks Bones is her best friend and she's completely out of control. I can't wait to find out what she MIGHT do next. Sweets, we need to get her help…"

"I see," Sweets nodded. "How do you feel about what's going on here, Agent Booth? It can't be easy to put yourself out there, to give yourself a chance at happiness only to have it turn out this way."

"Are you serious?" Booth raised his eyebrows. "Are you really going to shrink me right now, when there is a crazy person on the loose?" he challenged.

"No," he sighed. "But I would like to finish this conversation at a later date, if you don't mind."

"I mind!" he shot back. "I mind VERY much. Stop thinking about me, what do we do about Hannah, she could be dangerous… to herself as much as anyone."

"Where is she?" Sweets asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "She didn't answer her cell phone, and she's not home."

"Is it possible she's working?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Anything's possible."

"I suggest you track her down, I'm sure she's fine. When you do find her, try and get her to come in and see me, by whatever means necessary. I can evaluate her mental health and decide what to do from there…"

Booth nodded and stood from the couch, heading for the exit door.

"Agent Booth?"

"What now?" he groaned stopping before he gripped the handle.

"I suggest you find a way to sort out your emotions regarding Dr. Brennan, I think time has shown that a new woman in the equation does nothing to lift the burden from your shoulders. May I suggest-?"

"NO, you may NOT suggest anything!" he barked. He opened the door then and slammed it hard behind him. It was one thing to go to the twelve year old for help regarding a woman with a few loose screws, but there was no way he was allowing Sweets to tamper with his love-life. He made that mistake once before, it was how he got into this mess.

_Well, hope you enjoyed that. I have some interesting ideas coming up, I hope you enjoy them. =) Let's just say its NOT the last you see of crazy Hannah… reviews make me post faster, just to let you know ;)_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: So here we have a Hannah & Booth scene… how does she react when he suggests that she see Sweets? Yes well… Hannah is a strange one. =)_

_I wanted to apologize about misspells and stuff, like Hannah calling Booth, "Booth" or Brennan "Dr. Brennan" when in the show she calls him Seeley and her Temperance. Sorry, I picked up on it this week in the TV series, so I'm gonna correct that now, sorry if it's off-putting. _

Hannah came through the door later that afternoon, as if nothing untoward had happened, and Booth followed her lead, pretending that everything was fine and dandy, not sure how else to act with her now. He suggested they watch a movie, and would have liked to add some wine to the evening, but considered that a dangerous course of action. Who knew what alcohol would do, to an already deranged woman?

Snuggling close against him, Hannah forced his arm around her shoulder. He tensed, unsure about his feelings for her. It wasn't that he didn't care, he did, of course he did. He had given up all hope with _Bones_ so that he could move on. But this Hannah was altogether a different woman. Maybe it was true what they say, _relationships based on intense experiences, never work_. It was certainly ringing true for his case.

"Hannah…" he said as he watched the credits roll on the screen.

"Yes, Seeley?"

Quick like a band-aid. "How would you feel about seeing Sweets?"

Hannah frowned, and a small smile crossed her lips. "That's ludicrous. I'm seeing you… why would I want to date him? I love you."

"I don't mean date him," Booth shifted uncomfortably. "I mean… talk to him, you know, about stuff."

"What stuff?" she questioned.

Booth avoided eye contact. "Well… you might wanna maybe… possibly… mention the dog you found, maybe Sweets would like to talk about that…"

"Why would he want to know about that? I want to speak to Temperance about that, she's the one with the expertise on remains."

Booth shivered at the way she described the innocent canine she sauntered for self-pleasure.

"Well, he likes a variety of topics. You'll be surprised what he likes to talk about."

"I don't think so," she declined. "I'm not a fan of psychology… it's a soft science."

Booth's heart sank. She was even beginning to mimic Brennan's beliefs. This was serious. He had to try harder. Hannah needed help, and Sweets was the only one who knew how to deal with this kind of issue. For once, they were counting on his expertise and forgetting the fact that he looked and at times acted, like a twelve year old.

"Bones goes to see Sweets, and she rather enjoys it."

Hannah turned her head. He had her attention. "Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "She pretends of course that she hates it, but in reality she finds the process… stimulating."

There was a long pause while Hannah thought about this.

"Maybe seeing him would be beneficial for me after all," she said pensively. "I mean, he knows Temperance quite well, he could be of assistance in my search of getting to know her better."

Booth's chest tightened. He suddenly didn't like that idea. Why did she have to grow obsessed with Brennan?

"Good," he forced a smile. "Cause he was hoping you'd come to his office in the morning."

"He asked for me?" Hannah inquired.

"Of course," he nodded.

Hannah smiled looking pleased with herself.

Booth lay awake that night, unable to get any shut-eye, as he stared at the ceiling thinking about the possibilities of how badly this could end. He cursed himself for bringing her back from Afghanistan in the first place. He never learnt, he realized, he was always messing up somewhere, always finding new and improved ways to put his partner in danger. He hated himself for it.

_There's that guilt that Booth just can't let go of… lol! _

_Hope you liked that chapter… the next one will be Sweets VS Hannah… do you think he can handle her… any requests, ideas or comments… the review button is below and would love a visit. =)_


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Sorry for those who are missing Brennan in these past few chapters. But I promise to bring her in next chapter with quite a big BANG! =)_

Sweets looked over some notes in a case file he had written about Hannah. He wanted to be prepared before she came in, IF she came in. He was looking over some of the behavioral patterns that Booth had mentioned when his office door swung open. He looked up, surprised to see Hannah Burley waltz into the room.

"Hello Hannah," he greeted cautiously. He hadn't spoken to her since Booth had explained the situation, and he had no clue where her mental state was, at this particular time, but he did his best to remain focused on the subject at hand, and act professional.

"Hi Dr. Sweets…" she smiled.

He gestured to the couch. "Why don't you take a seat… we can have a chat," he offered.

Hannah nodded and dropped to the couch. "Booth told me that you wanted to talk to me. I have some things I'd like to discuss with you as well," she told him.

"Good," he nodded looking pleased. Booth had done well in bringing her in. "I would like to talk to you about the dog… if that's alright?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I found him."

"You found him dead?"

"No," she answered shaking her head. "I found him roaming around the park alone…"

"What did you do?" he asked jotted down some notes.

Hannah eyed him suspiciously. "Are you writing all this down?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes. Would you rather I not?"

She thought about it.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "You're the shrink."

"I'm a psychologist… Hannah, what did you do once you found the dog?"

"The poor thing was hungry."

"So you feed him?"

"No," she frowned as if the very idea was insane. "I killed him, of course."

Sweet's stomach dropped two floors. The way she mentioned the destruction of a dog so casually told him that she was in no clear state of mind. "You killed him?"

"Yes," she nodded. "The dog had no owner. It was the humane thing to do."

"How did you kill him?" he asked almost afraid of the answer.

"I snapped his neck with my bare hands," she announced proudly.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and jotted down some notes. "Hannah, don't you think that there was another option. A dog pound, perhaps… you could have fed him and put up flyers…" he suggested, sad that she hadn't taken those steps and an innocent canine had been killed.

"But then I never would have gotten to see Temperance show off her work skills. I wanted to watch her examine the remains…"

"Dr. Brennan seems important to you," he observed.

"Of course," she nodded. "She's my best friend."

"Does she reciprocate the feelings?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "The two of us socialize without Seeley…"

"Do you think that bothers him?"

Hannah thought about it. "No. Seeley loves me. He only wants me to be happy. Temperance, being with her, always makes me happy. She's such a nice and sweet person."

Sweets frowned. That wouldn't be a word he would use to describe Dr. Brennan.

"Hannah I would like to see you again," he considered. There were some things he wanted to look into further, and he hadn't the time this morning. He had already concluded that she was harmless regarding Dr. Brennan. It seemed she had attached herself unhealthily, and sincerely believed they shared a bond. Hannah wouldn't hurt Dr. Brennan. As for the animals in the world, none of them were safe… clearly. "If you don't mind…"

Hannah smiled. "I don't mind," she said. "I would like to talk to you about Temperance though. You know her well… I want to get her a present… what do you think she'd like?"

Sweets shivered. Dr. Brennan wasn't one to like gestures, unless they came from people she cared about. Hannah was NOT one of them.

"I think perhaps we can discuss that next time," he announced standing from his chair. "I have some place I need to be. But it was nice talking to you Hannah, thank you for coming in…" he walked her to the door.

"Alright," she nodded. "Is Dr. Brennan in the lab?"

"She's working… very busy," he explained. "I think it's best if you left her for now, even best friends need some space…" he winked.

Hannah nodded. "You're right, Dr. Sweets. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sweets closed his office door behind her.

_CRAZY! CRAZY! CRAZY! I don't like her, and I'm the one who created her? ARGH! What was I thinking… =/ poor little dog. Hannah needs to be knocked over the head with a hammer… who wants to help? lol_


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: I know I promised Brennan in this chapter, but I thought it would be MUCH more fun for me if I held off, for one more… you'll have to suffer through another session with Sweets so I can do the set-up… this is SO MUCH fun, hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am. =) _

Hannah's frustration was evident in her tone, as she sat across from Sweets, watching him as he jotted down some notes in his case file. She groaned loudly, causing him to look up.

"I'm sorry, did you have something to add?" he asked.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "I want to talk about Temperance," she demanded. "You know her more than most, you've studied her, so to speak, and I want to… can't you tell me what she'd like as a gift. Does she like flowers, chocolate, does she have a certain fetish with wine? Give me something here, Dr. Sweets!"

He turned his eyes to the clock above their heads and stood from his chair. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll give you something, but right now, I have to do something… give me five minutes. Sit here and…" he decided she was safe enough in his office, there wasn't anything worthwhile to steal. "I'll be back," he moved toward the door.

"Dr.-" she began to protest.

He held up a hand in defense. "I'll be RIGHT back."

Hannah sighed and leaned her head against the leather of the couch. She heard the click of the door close behind her, and she shot her head up again. She looked around to make sure she was unseen before she made her move. It was all clear. Hannah stood from the couch and went over to his file cabinet. If Dr. Sweets wouldn't help her, she'd just have to help herself. She wasn't surprised to find the cabinet was unlocked. Dr. Sweets wasn't as bright as he thought he was. It took her only seconds to locate Temperance's file. Her eyes scanned over it, looking for something in particular, and when she found it, she smiled widely, making a mental note in her head before closing the file and returning it to its rightful place.

She turned then, tired of waiting for the psychologist. He was taking his time, and Hannah had things to do. Stepping out of the office, she glanced at her watch. She had plenty of time before her date with Destiny.

_*cowers in the corner* I know its super short, but I promise to upload quickly… I just want to see the response from you first. The next chapter is already ready to post. I like including you guys, it makes you feel like part of the story to me, so I just wanted to see how many of you can guess what she was looking for in the case file? Care to take a guess! =)_


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: NOW I promise to give you Brennan… and the BIG bang, hope you enjoy it. =)_

Brennan tapped away on her keyboard, as the words flowed from her finger-tips. She was working on another chapter of her book. It was late, and she was exhausted, the day's case had left her feeling drained, but her publisher had insisted on a draft. Since Hannah had come into the picture, she had found her concentration for her book was slightly out. Most nights were spent thinking about Booth and the mistakes she had made in regards to their relationship, sometimes Brennan didn't get a single moment's sleep, and would come to the lab the next morning, feeling the loss of energy.

No one was any the wiser.

But tonight, she found that her writer's block was gone, and she tapped wildly on the keyboard, eager to finish what was long overdue.

A noise startled her from her focus and she snapped her head up, glancing towards the study window, where she heard the sound. Her heart thudded violently against the wall of her chest, when she saw a finger drumming along the window pane. She jumped into immediate action, and flew from the desk to the window, an ugly look on her face as she tried to scare off the intruder. Something between a groan and animalistic seeped from her throat.

The intruder only laughed manically, and finally revealing herself as Hannah Burley.

"Hannah!" Brennan barked. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I came to visit," she shrugged through the window. "Aren't you going to let me in?"

"NO!" she responded shaking her head. The woman was clearly unbalanced. "This is called breaking and entering, and it's a felony!"

"Don't be silly, Temperance," she giggled. "I'm your best friend."

"I'm the calling the police," she stated moving toward the phone in her study. The woman had made no recovery from her warped idea of their acquaintance/relationship.

"Wait," Hannah cried. There was something desperate in her voice that made Brennan turn back. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to see you. I've been banned from the Jeffersonian, and Dr. Sweets wouldn't tell me anything… and… I missed you, Temperance."

"You're deluded!" she stated matter-of-factly.

"Don't be like that," she pleaded. "I was just trying to be a good friend. Don't you realize that I would stop at nothing to have you in my life? I took your address from Sweets' file. No one can stop us being together, Temperance. Our bond of friendship is FAR too strong for anything to break it."

Brennan got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The next time Booth was crazy enough to bring back a woman from Afghanistan, he should think seriously about doing a background check first.

"We're not friends," she said bluntly. "Hannah, I _don't_ like you. I tolerate you for the sake of Booth, and for that reason alone I am going to demand you off my property. If you go now, I won't call the police…" she compromised.

Brennan was worried about Booth. It couldn't be easy caring so much about a woman only to find out that she was severely unhinged. She didn't want to make things more difficult for him than they already were. She would leave Hannah in his hands, so to speak, and allow him to make the deciding vote on the next move. After all, she was his girlfriend.

Hannah stared at her intently, deciding what to do.

"I recommend you remove yourself, Hannah. Immediately!"

She nodded, an obvious look of devastation plastered across her face.

"Alright," she nodded. "But I won't let this be the end. I won't be without you, Temperance. NOTHING can come between us. I promise," she uttered.

She disappeared as quickly as she appeared, leaving Brennan slightly shaken by the ordeal.

It didn't take her long to call Booth.

"I'm on my way!" he stated.

_Creepy… or what? There is MUCH more in store coming up, and maybe even a little B&B, in the next chapter… if you are all nice to me. ;)_

_That being said, sorry, Sweets was JUST stupid enough to leave it within reach of crazy-hannah... BUT it will mean interesting chapters coming up. Promise =)_


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: B&B moment… yes, I think it's well deserved. Manly for __**boredoclover **__and anyone else who so desperately asked for some B&B moments =)_

Booth called Sweets, and despite the time, he agreed to meet them both at Brennan's apartment, and decide where to go from there.

Booth put on his siren, and sped most of the way, eager to get to his partner and be sure of her safety. He cursed himself for brining her into this mess, and vowed to do whatever it took to keep her safe. He pulled the car against the curb, and slammed the door as he jumped out of the vehicle and hurried up to her apartment.

He didn't stop pounding on the door, until she opened it, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

He stepped through the door without permission, relieved to see that she was safe… AGAIN!

"I wasn't hurt," she assured him as they walked into the living room.

"This time," he pointed out. "You won't be if we keep playing with fire."

Brennan frowned. "I wasn't playing with fire…"

He suddenly smiled relieved that she was still the same naïve Bones that he loved. It was a relief to know that something's didn't change, even when crazy people entered the equation. "It was a figure of speech… I just," he turned serious again. "I think we really should do something about Hannah… this time Sweets better not fight me on it."

Just then, they both heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Booth called out, praying it wasn't Hannah coming back for round two.

"It's me…" Sweets voice answered from the other side of the door.

Brennan opened the door.

"Are you okay?" he looked concerned.

"Yes," she nodded. "She didn't hurt me."

"I don't think she will," he confirmed.

"Is there something in the air, that's making people crazy?" Booth snapped.

"I think I could help her, Agent Booth, I just need some more time… not a lot, but the session we had confirmed only a few minor things. I need to look deeper, and she's agreed to see me again, which is a good sign," he assured them.

"She's insane," Booth hissed. "She needs help NOW!"

"I understand your concern Agent Booth, but-"

"NO buts, you realize she STOLE files from your office and went to Bones' house. It's NOT going any further…"

"Agent Booth, I don't want to push her too far. I honestly think I can keep her out of a psychiatric ward, and it would be more beneficial for her," he explained.

Brennan laid a gentle hand on Booth's arm. "Maybe he's right, Booth…"

Booth stared at his partner, evident fear in his eyes. "Bones, I will NOT risk your life on a hunch that Hannah may or may not hurt you the next time."

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself," she insisted.

"I don't think so…" he said shaking his head.

"You lack the belief that-"

Frustration took over, and he began pacing the room. "No, Bones, I mean it doesn't matter. She's gone crazy, she's unpredictable!"

"But at the moment, she's not a danger to Dr. Brennan," Sweets pointed out.

"We know that the animals in the world aren't safe," Booth pointed out. "Did you even talk about THAT?" he demanded.

"Yes, Agent Booth. I just feel that-"

He groaned in replied. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… you can fix her your own way."

"A little trust here," he pleaded.

"Fine," he shrugged. "You deal with her. But I'm staying here with Bones until I know she's safe."

"That's unnecessary," Brennan argued.

"So is Hannah staying out of the nut-house! If she's not locked up then I am staying at your apartment, to make sure you are safe!" he wasn't taking no for an answer, his stubborn pride taking over.

"I agree with Agent Booth, it might not be a bad idea…" Sweets reasoned.

_Thank heavens_, Booth thought silently. _At least you're not entirely crazy_.

"What do we do about Hannah?" Brennan questioned. It was a valid point.

Sweets pounded this thought. "You guys could lay low for a few days and stay in the apartment," he suggested.

"Refrain from work?" Brennan frowned. She didn't like that idea at all.

"Yes, Bones, that's what he's saying…" Booth didn't think it was a bad idea.

"But-"

"Bones, for once can you just NOT argue!" he begged.

Brennan looked at him, meeting his eyes. She could see the fear and frustration there, and the desire to keep her safe. He was trying the best he could, and she could see that. She nodded, agreeing to give him the solace he needed in order to fix the situation.

"Thank you…" he whispered draping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her to him.

She rested her head against him, smelling the scent of his cologne.

_I know that Hannah is going to be sticking around a bit longer… but I figured you'd all forgive me because B&B get to live under the same roof for a few days… =) Yes, I know, I'm awesome! Lol… reviews help spread that rumor too, just in case you were wondering. ;)_


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: My attempt at alone time between B&B… it was fun to write the later part… believe me! =) Sorry though it's mostly dialogue. It's my weakness. Lol. BUT firstly, I know it's done A LOT… but THANK YOU immeasurably, for hanging in there and continuing with this story… I have no words, every person who has taken the time to read a chapter or more… THANK YOU!_

Brennan found it odd to not be working, and found that most of her time was spent working on her latest novel. She was not the type of person who could sit around and watch TV. Booth on the other hand, was watching an old TV series he had hired from the movie store to keep him entertained. He occasionally wondered into Brennan's study to bug her, and dissolve his intense boredom.

"What ya doin'?" he asked leaning against the door frame.

"I'm writing, Booth," she looked up at him, a look of annoyance plastered on her face. There was nothing worse than being interrupted when you were in the middle of writing a scene. It was frustrating, and she didn't fail to let Booth know that. "I can't be interrupted all the time… find something productive to do…" he suggested.

"Like what?" he smiled.

"I don't know, what do you do when you're home?"

"I sleep," he stated.

"I don't suggest that," she pounded. "It's quite unhealthy for an active man like yourself to sleep during the day, unless you are ill…" she pointed out.

"I know that, Bones," he nodded. "That's why I'm not sleeping. I work all day… I hang out with you, and Parker and…"

"And what?" she asked with interest.

"I read some graphic comics," he admitted. "But I don't have any here, and Sweets said we shouldn't really leave the apartment, unless it was a dire emergency," he mocked.

"I really have to work, Booth," she explained, her eyes refocusing on the computer.

"Play cards with me?" he begged.

"Booth…" she was using that tone again. She wanted to be alone to work.

"Come on, Bones," he pulled out the puppy-dog eyes and stared her down. "I am SO bored. Please, just do something with me… anything… we can even bake a cake together…"

Brennan laughed out loud. "I don't think so," she said.

"Cards then," he pleaded.

Brennan sighed heavily. "Alright… if you must insist on interrupting me from my work, there doesn't seem to be a lot of options," she smiled.

For the next hour, they played a game of Canasta, in the loungeroom on the couch. Booth was surprised that Brennan knew the rules and concept of the game, and easily beat him. He insisted on a re-match, but she refused, telling him she had to get back to work.

"You don't even HAVE to," he pointed out. "Usually you'd be working at the Jeffersonian, not at home…"

"But I am home," she shrugged. "Therefore I should make the most of the time I have, to work on my book, since I am currently behind anyway."

"BONES!" he whined resembling a four-year-old. "Make the most of the time with ME!"

"Booth, you are behaving like a child?" she pointed out.

"I won't if you do something with me…" he grinned.

"I just played cards," she scoffed.

"We could… play a board game… or watch a movie… or we could play truth and dare?" a wild spark lit up his entire face when he mentioned the last suggestion.

"I don't know what that is," she said.

"It's easy. You pick either truth or dare, and if you pick truth, then I ask you a question and you have to be COMPLETELY 100% honest, and if you pick dare, I get to make you do something you don't want to do."

"I don't like the sound of this game," she answered skeptically.

"It's fun," he promised. "So… I'll ask you first truth or dare?"

Brennan sighed. "Truth," she picked.

Booth raised an eyebrow and thought about his question. "Alright," he posed starting her off with something easy. "How do you feel about Parker?"

"You know this already," she frowned. "I think he's an incredibly bright child, much like his father in facial features, and I adore him very much. I would love to have a child that resembles him."

Booth nodded. "Good answer. But what do you mean when you say he has my facial features, in a good way?"

Brennan smiled. "I think that's another question," she said easily understanding the rules of the game. "It's my turn to ask you. Truth or dare?"

Booth squirmed. "Truth…"

"How do you feel about your father?"

He met her eyes. "Bones, that's not really a…"

"I thought this was a game where you can ask ANY question and get an honest answer."

"Fine," he said coldly. "I resent my father. I think he was a crappy one. A bloody alcoholic! I fear turning out like him and I think he was a jerk. He gave me responsibility to bring up Jarrod when I was just a kid myself. Alright, I hated him!"

He leaned back in the chair. "Truth or dare?" it was payback time.

"Truth," she answered confidently.

"How do you honestly feel about me?" he demanded. "What emotions run deep that you try and hide from everyone else?"

Brennan's face drained of color. "I thought you were going to ask about your facial features and-"

"No," he shrugged. "Answer the question."

"Booth, I don't think this is a very appropriate game to be playing considering your girlfriend is-"

"Bones," he snapped. "You made me answer a question regarding a very sore subject, it's YOUR turn. How do you feel about me, honestly?"

Brennan stood from the couch. "I have to get back to work…"

"Bones!" he warned.

She shook her head firmly. "I won't answer it. I'm sorry… I think- I just have to get back to work."

He leaned back on the couch, as he pounded the reasons why she wouldn't answer. What was she so afraid of, an obvious intense emotion was running through her, she must have cared somewhat if she struggled to answer the question. Maybe he even loved her? He thought.

_Okay so this sets it up for later… hope you don't hate me for not letting Brennan answer the Q, I thought it was better that way. I don't want them to have an affair of any sort, whether it's physical or emotional. =) hope you liked it though. _


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Another reference to David Boreanaz. A movie called __**Valentine**__, if you haven't seen it and you love a good murder mystery psycho type movie, you'll love it. A different role for David, but he's still yummy… =)_

Brennan wondered back into the living room, breaking Booth from his concentration from the TV screen. He'd been watching _Valentine_. He looked up, daring to meet her eyes.

"Hi," he greeted. "Get some work done?"

Brennan shook her head. "Not really. I kept thinking…" she didn't finish her sentence.

"Wanna watch this with me?" he asked.

She joined him on the couch. "What is it?"

"It's a horror movie… kinda, more thriller, I guess," he answered. "Someone keeps sending Valentine cards with gruesome words."

"Why would you subject yourself to this when the reality is so close?" she questioned. Brennan didn't understand why he would watch a movie like this, when Hannah was so completely out of her mind. Though, she did enjoy a classic black and white horror film on occasion.

"Its good therapy, Bones, it helps you understand the inner workings of their mind… most of the time," he shrugged. "It's a good movie. You had it in your collection."

She watched the screen for a few minutes. "That character is quite attractive," she observed.

"Who?"

"The boyfriend…" she explained.

Booth grinned. "Look at you, enjoying some eye candy…"

"I don't know what that means," she said.

"I'm just saying you like the guy, he's HOT!"

"I already said that," she frowned. "I didn't paraphrase it that way, however-"

"Bones, let's just watch the movie."

Booth felt a tinge of jealousy, despite the fact that the man in question was a fictional character he would have liked Brennan to look at him with the same desire.

A noise outside, instantly caught their attention.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes wide with caution.

"It's probably nothing," he assured her.

"Booth, what if-"

"I'm here," he assured her. "I won't let her come near you. It's alright."

"I'm not worried about her getting to me," she admitted. Their eyes locked when she looked up to meet his. "I can take care of myself, Booth."

"I- I know," he stammered. "I- I know that Bones."

"Booth would you…" she blushed as she indicated what she wanted.

"Yeah," he smiled. He looked out the window, and smiled to himself, seeing it was nothing more than the wind scrapping against the window pane, Booth kept the information to himself. He pulled his arms around her shoulder, allowing her to bury herself against him for comfort. He could smell her skin, the mixture of peaches and coconut. Booth felt her tremble in his arms, his hold on hr tightened as he wondered if it was more from being so close to him, than the fear of being harmed. Brennan had always come across as independent. She had very little fear when it came to herself. It was those she loved that brought the panic gene out in the open. So he had to assume that she was interested only in being close to him, which of course he had no complaints about.

"This feels nice," Brennan murmured.

"Yeah," he whispered. "It does…"

She snuggled closer to him, her head resting underneath his chin.

… … … … … … … … …

"Where's Temperance?" Hannah demanded the moment Angela came out of the Jeffersonian Institute building. Angela jumped in fright, her hand resting on her pounding heart.

"Hannah, you scared me!" she stated.

"Where is Temperance?" she repeated. "I _need_ to speak to her, it's important."

Angela sensed danger. This woman was NOT right in the head. The last thing she was going to do was put her best friend in danger. "She's not here, and you have been ordered NOT to come here, Hannah. I think you should go,"

"I _want_ to find Temperance," Hannah had a look of desperation.

"Hannah, GO home!"

"Tell me where she is?" she ordered.

Angela stepped aside and began walking to her car. For a moment she feared her own safety and that of her unborn child. Was Hannah unhinged enough to hurt her for the information she so clearly wanted. She expected Hannah to follow her, and reached into her bag for the pepper spray, Hodgins had insisted she carry with her at all times.

"I know that you are friends with Temperance, I have no interest in coming between you, as long as you realize that she and I have a bond that no one else can break. She's my best friend, Angela. We are a part of each other… you understand?"

Angela felt the frustration building up. "If Brennan jumped off a cliff without safety gear, would you do it too?" she challenged.

Hannah's eyes widened in surprise. "She really does that?" she asked as if actually contemplating the idea.

"ARGH!" Angela groaned pushing her way past Hannah and walking to the car. Hannah stared after her, a deep frown settled in her brow.

_I could have gone "Hannah turns on Angela" but I didn't want to take that road. I like Angela, and her unborn child could easily die from a traumatic experience if Hannah went nuts on her. I didn't want that either. But Angela isn't one to sit back and say nothing. =)_

_But it's CERTAINLY not the end of Hannah just yet… lol… interested in more? Reviews help spread the news to me ;)_


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Now the games begin… not long until it all spirals out of control… I hope I still have you all hooked on this story and anticipating my next move. I would like to thank you, as you all have been more than generous in leaving reviews, alerts and favorites to this particular FF. I am honored that so many want more of it. A story like this isn't possible to write without the devoted readers, like you reading this author note right now, just as a TV series isn't possible without fans. THANK YOU very much. _

_Enjoy =)_

"I can't stand it anymore," Booth said pacing the living room. "I have to go get my graphic comics and some milk… I want some milk!"

"Booth, Sweets made it clear that we have to be cautious," Brennan replied looking up at him from the couch, a book in her lap. She had been reading a scientology book, while the boredom had eaten away at her partner. He was more than frustrated. He needed something to do other than watch movies. He was used to being a hands-on man, being out there, active and solving crimes. There were only so many psychological thrillers he could watch to fill that part of his brain before he grew bored.

"I won't be long," he promised. "I'll be careful… I will."

Brennan narrowed his eyes. "I don't recommend it, Booth."

"I'll be fine. Are you going to be okay on your own, just for a bit… half an hour?"

Brennan nodded. "Of course, I told you I can take care of myself."

Booth nodded. He knew that. "Okay, well… I got my cell phone, call me if you need me."

"I'll be fine."

Booth left.

Brennan went back to her book, attempting to write without the distraction of someone else in her space. It was hard for her as a writer to concentrate with someone else in the house. The atmosphere was different.

She heard the front door open a few minutes later, and sighed. _That was quick_, she thought. She shut down the computer again, and went into the living room, but she was surprised to find it wasn't Booth waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I saw Booth leave," Hannah admitted. "I've been waiting forever… now we can just be alone, just you and me."

"You and I," she corrected.

Hannah smiled. "See, you correcting me, it's a good thing we have such a strong relationship."

Brennan rolled her eyes.

"You should come with me to a log cabin. It was left to me by my Aunt."

"No," she answered bluntly.

"Why not?" Hannah pouted. "It would be SO much fun… you and me could drink margaritas and get to know each other a little more, not that anything I would learn would change how I view you. You are my best friend after all," she giggled.

"For the last time, Hannah, we are NOT friends."

Hannah stepped back, seemingly stung by Brennan's harsh tone.

"This is about Angela, isn't it?" she accused.

"No," Brennan replied. "It's about you being in need of help, Hannah, Psychological help!"

Hannah shook her head. "Angela told you to say that, didn't she? She's trying to PULL US APART, Temperance!" the panic in her voice made Hannah seem all the more unhinged.

"I think you should leave," Brennan advised.

She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Brennan. "NO!" she began to pace the room, as Booth had done not so long ago. "I might have no other choice…" she muttered to herself. Brennan listened to her, trying to depict her next move. "If I become more like Angela… study her… get to know her better… Temperance will understand the lengths I'm willing to go to keep her in my life."

"Hannah, I think I should call someone," she suggested.

"NO!" she cried. "I just have to be more like Angela, then you'll like me, Angela and I, we-"

Fear caused Brennan to react quickly. The idea that her friend could be in the same danger that Hannah was putting Brennan in, put her into protective mode. She was willing to do whatever it took, to keep her pregnant friend safe.

"I'll go," she agreed.

"What?" Hannah didn't seem to understand what she was saying.

"To the cabin, with you… I'll accompany you."

"You will?" her face lit up like a kid with a new pony.

"Yes," Brennan nodded. Sometimes she had to play the brave card, no matter what that meant for her own safety. All that mattered was that her friends and family were safe. "But we have no reason to bring Angela into this…"

Hannah nodded. "Of course not, it's just you and me."

"You and I," Brennan corrected. She couldn't help herself.

Hannah laughed as they walked to the door.

_Okay, you are going to either HATE me or LOVE me in the next chapter, depending on what opinion you have, regarding a certain someone. I think most will be thrilled however, I want to make it clear that I have nothing substantial against the TV series Hannah, I am still deciding how much I hate her, if I do… I know I don't like her, hence the crazy-Hannah story, but… *shrugs* time will tell. =)_

_Anyone want to take a guess at how the next chapter is going to go… think outside the box!_


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Here is the chapter you have all been waiting for… I would LOVE my inbox to be loaded with thoughts on this chapter. I'm sure there will be opinions… don't be shy in expressing them. I hope you enjoy this. But don't forget there is MUCH more in store for you after this chapter. It's FAR from over… =)_

The panic was instant when Booth saw the front door open on his return to Brenan's place. His chest tighten as he dropped the milk and comic from his hands, unconcerned that they fell somewhere beneath his feet, as he rushed for the door.

"BONES!" he called out frantically.

Inside, he rushed through each room, calling her name, his voice unsteady and panicked. "BONES…"

There was no response. It didn't take him long to pull out his cell phone, he hit speed dial and her number appeared. It rang out. Booth, felt the panic inch its way closer to his lungs. He felt like he was going to explode. He dialed Sweets' number and waited for the dial tone.

He picked up on the third ring.

"Lance Sweets?" he answered.

"Bones is missing," he stated. There was no time for reluctance.

"Alright, calm down, Agent Booth," he urged. "I need you to tell me what happened. How do you know she's gone?"

"Because she isn't here!" he snapped. "I went out for milk… I shouldn't have left but- I couldn't stand being bored anymore. I left. I was only gone twenty minutes. I swear…"

"Alright, can you think of a reason she might have left?" he questioned.

"NO!" he barked. "She wouldn't leave. She would have called me. She's not answering her cell phone. Sweets, something happened to her, damn it!" his head was spinning, as all the possible scenarios crossed his mind.

_Hannah got to her._

It was all he could think of.

"Agent Booth, I need you to focus, can you remember Hannah ever talking about a place of significance to her… a place that she mentioned that was from her childhood maybe, or… somewhere nearby."

Booth wracked his brain. "A cabin…" he stammered. "A log cabin. But I don't know-"

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"You need to get there! I'll make some calls and get some people out there looking for Dr. Brennan in case she isn't at the cabin. If you find her, you need to call me straight away, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I got it," Booth hung up then and raced back outside to his SUV.

… …. … … … … … … …

Brennan refused to be submissive any longer.

Outside, in the fresh air, Hannah had asked her castrate an animal she had found in the bush before she had brought Brennan to the log cabin. Brennan was done playing her game. She would NOT participate in any psychotic game playing.

Hannah didn't like that, and began pacing the lawn.

"I just want to do what you do… I want to be good at science," she explained.

"You're not," she answered bluntly. "Not everyone has the skills and ability in the same area of expertise Hannah, you have to know that."

Shaking her head, Hannah reached into her jacket pocket, to retrieve a handgun.

Brennan's eyes widened in surprise, and the adrenaline instantly kicked in, the fear she thought she'd feel when being faced with death was absent. She locked eyes on Hannah, as the mentally unbalanced woman began mumbling to herself.

"She's not my friend, she doesn't care… she doesn't care. Angela is her friend… Angela… Angela…"

"Hannah, are you having an episode?" Brennan asked bluntly. If Booth were there he would have tactfully found a way to address the issue, but he wasn't, she was alone with Hannah.

Hannah stopped pacing and looked at her. "WHAT?"

"Are you having a psychotic episode, are you hearing voices?" she questioned. Maybe there was something she could say, if she knew what head space Hannah was in at the moment.

She seemed confused. "I-"

"HANNAH!" Booth's voice shot from a distance.

Brennan snapped her neck to the sound of her partner's voice. There he was, her _knight in shining FBI issue standard body Amour_, as Angela had once said.

"Booth…" she said feeling the relieve of a familiar face.

He had his own gun aimed in front of him defensively.

"Bones are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Booth. But I don't understand what are doing here, how did you find us?"

Booth ignored her question and turned to his girlfriend. "Hannah, honey, I need you to put down the gun…"

"NO!" she screamed. "This isn't about you, this about me, and Temperance. I'm sick of you coming in the middle all the time, Seeley. You spend all your time with her! You don't even come home anymore… you left. You didn't want to be with me… why does no one want to be with me," she began to cry.

"I do want to be with you, Hannah…" he said gently.

Hannah directed her own gun at him, waving it around as if it were nothing more than a water pistol. "I want Temperance, and nothing is going to stand in the way of us being together!" she stated matter-of-factly.

"Hannah, you have to understand-"

"NO! Temperance is MY best friend, and as long as you are standing in the way, she will never have the relationship that we are meant to have. I have to end it now…" she said more to herself than the two of them.

"Hannah, you don't want to do that…" he reasoned.

"I want Temperance with me, but all she cares about is you and Angela. All anyone ever cared about was everyone else. When was it MY turn. I thought I found someone to love me, Seeley, but then you went behind my back to be with her. She's MINE!"

Booth's head was spinning. "We can get you some help, Hannah. We can make you feel better."

"No, everyone says that, but then they leave…"

"Who left, Hannah?" he asked gently.

She sniffed. "Mom and Dad… they were always busy with everyone else, they didn't want to be with me. No one wanted to be with me… I never had a steady boyfriend, until you, Seeley, and you never… you wanted to be with Temperance. I never had someone I could call my own… not who was mine… just for me."

His heart broke at her story. All she had ever wanted was someone to love her. "I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it, he had never meant to abandon her for Brennan. He never meant to hurt her the way he had.

"Sorry isn't enough," she announced her tears suddenly gone. "I don't need any more apologizes, I need to be alone with Temperance," she turned her attention to the anthropologist. "Temperance, you and I will be together, I'll prove to you how important you are to me… how much I love you…" she smiled.

She raised her firearm, and directed it at the man she had depended on for something more than what he had.

"BOOTH… NO!" Brennan's scream pierced his ear, and as his finger rested on his own trigger, the agony of hearing his partner's scream, caused him to react quickly, his finger snapping the trigger down. The sound of fire crackers was heard as the bullet shot through the air, wedging itself between Hannah's eyes, a single shot to the head. It was a clean shot. No hope of survival, and as Booth realized what he'd done, he dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands.

He'd killed his girlfriend.

Brennan approached him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

_When it comes to psychology I was always interested in the WHY, I never could understand why someone could go crazy or kill someone, without a reason. EVERYONE has a reason, this was Hannah's. Now comes your part… what did you think? =)_


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: I really liked this chapter, it was interesting to write, so I do hope it's interesting to read. _

_I just hope you know that just because Hannah is gone, doesn't mean it's instantly going to be a happy ever after, because let's face it, it doesn't happen that way =) I DO promise that you will get one though… soon!_

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

Her hand trembled as she reached for the phone. Every day she was confronted with the same struggle, the same demons trying so desperately to claw their way out. This wasn't the furthest she'd reached before retraction, sometimes she even managed to punch in all the digits before hanging up.

The days following his absence had been more than difficult. There were times within that period where she honestly believed she was dying. But science couldn't explain it; there was no physical bone evidence to explain her emotions, only an agonizing, gut-wrenching feeling that came in the form of a twisted stomach. Brennan found it hard to keep her food down most of the time. She had lost more weight than was healthy, leaving her thin and frail.

Everyday Angela urged her to make the call, worried about her friend's decreasing body image, and the way the light had gone out from her eyes. It reminded Angela too much of the months following Hannah's arrival.

But Brennan's attempt was done in vain. She couldn't bring herself to hear his voice, and the ache in her chest seemed to increase with every passing day.

This time, Brennan was determined to push through. This time she wouldn't hang up. With unsteady fingers, she punched in the number to Booth's cell phone. As she heard the ringing, she had to fight herself not to hang up. On the third ring, she heard the click of the phone and a background noise, before a gruff voice answered.

"What?"

Brennan's chest tightened at the sound of his voice. "Booth?"

There was a long pause.

"How are you doin, Booth?" she pressed, eager to keep the conversation going.

"I'm okay," he answered vaguely.

Brennan contemplated her next sentence. How did she tell him how much she missed him, when she didn't understand the emotions herself? And how did she talk to him knowing the extent of alcohol in his blood stream, clearly he was in no mental state to talk to her. But she was on the phone now, and who knew when she'd get another chance. She wasn't going to let the opportunity slip through her fingers.

Instead, she broached the subject of something that had been weighing on her mind. "Do you think you might come back to work?"

Booth didn't answer right away. "I don't think so, Bones…" Brennan closed her eyes at the mention of the name only he called her. It had been too long since she'd heard it.

Knowing his reasons, and knowing him, Brennan pressed on a sore subject. "Booth, you don't need to keep punishing yourself…" she told him.

His response was instant and both angry and bitter. "You don't know," he snapped. "You don't understand-"

"I think I have a fair idea," she protested. Brennan had been going through a lot too, since his resignation from the FBI. He had been out of work for six months. He had thrown in the towel only the day after the horror scene at the log cabin. For six months she had been out of field work, remaining only in the Jeffersonian, on the examination of bones. She couldn't believe how much she missed working with Booth in the field, cracking a case just didn't hold the same accomplishment anymore. Nothing felt right without him.

It was empty.

"Bones-"

"Booth, it hasn't been easy for me to-" she wanted him to understand that she understood his pain on some level, losing someone you loved wasn't easy, she knew that more than anyone. But her words fell on deaf ears, as he interrupted her.

"Well, it's been a walk in the park for me…" his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I-I didn't mean to suggest that- maybe I should go…" she hadn't meant to upset him, and clearly he was in no state to talk to her, but she worried about him, fearful for his health. Things were only getting worse for him.

"Maybe you should…" he suggested.

Brennan was surprised at how estranged his voice was. "Booth, I-"

She heard the click of the dial tone, and then nothing. He'd hung up.

Booth sat in his chair by the window, staring blankly out into the streets, as he nursed his scotch. Since his shooting incident, he had taken to the bottle quite strongly. He took another swig as he realized how he'd just reacted to Brennan, the woman he had thought about everyday for the last seven years; the past six months had been no exception.

_Hope that was worth a read… thoughts and opinions are welcome =)_


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: This was interesting to write. It took some time to piece it together, but I thought this was important to the healing process. =)_

Angela pounded on the door, impatiently, tapping her foot on the concrete porch as she waited for him to answer. She heard footsteps stomping up the hall. A moment later the door swung open, and she could tell straight away that he was intoxicated. His eyes were blood-shot and he needed the door frame to hold himself up.

She said nothing as she brushed past him, closing the door behind her. She wondered into the living room and waited for Booth to follow.

"Won't you come in," he mumbled with sarcasm as he trailed up the hall behind her.

Angela looked around the room, gathering an opinion about his current state. There were empty bottles of alcohol in every corner; rubbish un-binned on the coffee table, the place looked like it was fit for pigs. Angela shook her head. Booth entered the room, and took up his chair in the corner, in front of the blank screen TV.

"You look like hell," she observed. He gave off an odd odor, a mix of stale bourbon and dirty clothes. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks. His beard was unshaven, and much longer than she had ever seen it, he was beginning to resemble a Hell's Angel. His eyes had deep rings around them, and he looked as he had aged 10 years in the last six months. He didn't look good. Angela's heart ached at the sight of him. What had happened to the man who prided himself on his appearance, who showered and wore neat suits and stripy socks and eccentric ties?

He wasn't even wearing his COCKY belt buckle. Instead, he had subjected himself to sweat pants and a tank top.

"Thanks," he mumbled snatching his drink from the unclean coffee table by his chair.

"I'm serious," she said folding her arms across her chest. "Look at you…"

"I don't sleep," Booth confessed staring into his drink.

"Do you think Brennan does," she challenged. "She's been a mess since you walked out. She feels so guilty, and I know she has nothing to feel guilty about… you know that, too, don't you?"

"I never blamed Bones," he stated looking up, but too drunk to meet her eyes.

"I know that to," she said gently. "But you have to do something about this, Booth. You can't live like this… it isn't you, and the rest of the Jeffersonian are suffering too."

"What the hell do they have to do with this?" he demanded suddenly angry.

"Everyone's affected, Booth," she shot back. "We're your friends, we care about you… we care about Bren, and she's suffering too."

Booth looked down again, examining his drink before taking a swig.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Are you listening to me?"

"Not really," he shrugged.

"Booth," she snapped. "You are drinking yourself to death. You can't do this to yourself."

"I already am," he said simply.

"You can't do this to Bren!"

That comment made him look up.

"Angela, I killed my girlfriend, I shot her in the head… one bullet. I killed her. Do you have ANY idea what that feels like?"

"No," she said honestly. "But I know what pain feels like, I know what suffering is, and I know that without you Brennan is NOT coping, Booth, I came here to tell you that, and that we all miss you. It was horrible, what you had to do, what you did… but you're alive Booth, and whether you like or not, you have people depending on you."

"Bones doesn't need me, look what I did to her. I put her in danger… I… I could have avoided all this, if I never ran away to Afghanistan and met Hannah… if I never-"

"You can't do that," she sighed. "The 'what if's' will drive you crazy."

He laughed bitterly. "I'm already crazy… I'm closer to being like Hannah than you think."

Angela felt sick. "Don't say that… Booth you can stop this, you can feel better. You have people to back you, you have friends who care… you have Bren."

Booth shook his head. "I got nothing. I think you should go, I don't want to talk anymore…" he raised his glass to his lips and took another swig.

Angela was at a loss, he wasn't ready for help, and he wasn't willing to listen.

_I hope you enjoyed that… any ideas you have you want to throw at me… I'm open, any requests you'd like me to put in… whatever you got! =)_


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: I was going to go in a different direction, and just bring him to work but then I got some great ideas from____**Mezzo187**__ and __**PercyBookWorm**__ , so thank you for that. I hope you enjoy this chapter =)_

When Angela told Brennan she had been to Booth's apartment, she felt a stab of jealousy. He didn't want to talk to Brennan, but he had allowed Angela into his apartment, when had the concept of partnership changed over, when had she been pushed aside and been replaced by her best friend?

The change in her expression didn't go unnoticed by Angela.

"I didn't mean to upset you sweetie," Angela apologized. "But I couldn't stand back and watch him treat you that way, when you are so fragile already,"

"I'm not fragile, Ange," she denied.

Angela rolled her eyes in obvious protest. "Yeah, right."

"I note the sarcasm in your voice, and I reject it. I am not fragile."

"Look at you, Bren…" she gestured to her friend. "You are looking as bad as Booth. The two of you should compare notes on how to kill your body. You have lost SO much weight, you look sick, sweetie. I don't know how to help you. You don't eat. You barely have anything but water and aspirin."

"I don't-" she shifted on her feet.

"I see you take them," Angela accused. "I know you think I'm not looking, but Bren, you have to do something about yourself. You get headaches because you stopped eating. You can't just let this kill you… and I can't bear to watch." Angela was desperate as the tears welled up in her eyes. She was deeply worried for her friends.

Brennan avoided eye contact. "I don't know how to stop it, Ange, I tried. But I just feel so…"

"I know," Angela said gently laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I miss him," she admitted.

"I know that, too."

Brennan looked up. "Do you think maybe I should- I mean, would it help maybe if I went over there?" she asked. Angela had been there, she was good at reading people, knowing what might tip them over the edge. Advice was needed here.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," she nodded. "But you have to know that he's in a bad place right now, and that nothing he says makes much sense. His place is a mess, and he doesn't look good… be prepared."

Brennan nodded. How bad could it be?

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Brennan's patience was thin as she waited for him to reach the door, he could hear the staggering of his footsteps coming up the hall. He mumbled something that she didn't quite hear. Then the door swung open.

Booth's appearance shocked her, and she couldn't hide it, as she gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. He was clearly drunk, leaning on the wall to support himself. His eyes were blood-shot, his hair disheveled, and the odor that came off his sweat pants and jumper was overwhelming. The unshaven beard changed his image entirely, and Brennan saw what his actions had done to him.

She was sorry she had allowed him to get to this place.

"Booth…" she sighed.

"You're too thin," he stated bluntly looking her up and down. "You look sick."

Brennan laughed bitterly. "You don't look too good either, Booth."

"Eat something," he replied ignoring her comment.

"The odor is nauseating, Booth. I suggest you take a shower," her voice was cool.

She pushed past him and closed the door behind her, before trailing down the hallway towards the living room. The horror on her face did not go unnoticed by him, as her eyes scanned the room to see the mess he had left untouched. It was fit for nothing but pigs. Brennan was worried about her partner. She had never seen him reach this state, and seeing the seriousness of his alcohol problem as the empty bottles proved, she was even more concerned. This wasn't him; this wasn't the man she knew.

She shook her head and turned to find him standing behind her.

"What happened here, Booth?" she asked gently, the sting from her voice replaced with empathy.

He shrugged unknowing. "Been busy," he said.

"Drinking?" she guessed.

He laughed at her question and took his half-drunken glass of scotch from the coffee table and raised it, as if he was making a toast, before he took a drink.

Brennan snatched the glass from his hand. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she barked.

"Give me that?" he ordered.

Brennan shook her head. "You are acting like a fool," she noted. "Is this what you've subjected yourself to? THIS?" she scanned the room again. "Living in a dirty place, drinking yourself to death, that's what this situation has resulted in?"

He shrugged again. "Guess so."

Brennan didn't like the way he was talking. He didn't care, and that scared her. "What about your son, Booth… where's Parker?"

"With his mother," he stated bitterly. "Rebecca said I can't see him… haven't seen him in months."

"Can you blame her?" she shot at him angrily. "Look at you, Booth! You're a mess!"

He met her eyes. "I killed my girlfriend."

Her heart tugged. "I know. I was there. But as much as it hurts you can't keep rationalizing your behavior based on the past. You need to pick yourself up, Booth. NOW! I suggest the first thing you do is take a shower, your bodily hygiene is revolting…" she said pinching her nose.

Booth pulled a face.

"Go on…" she urged. "I'm not going anywhere…" she assured him.

His eyes softened. "Do you promise?"

Brennan sighed and felt her stomach intestines explode, figuratively speaking of course. "I promise,"

Booth nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

Brennan looked around the room again. She might as well make herself useful while she waited for him, she thought reasonably. She got rid of the dirty dishes first, and noticed that the kitchen was in the same state. She cleaned up the kitchen, wiped down the benches and put on a dish load, before returning to the living room with a bag, to deposit the empty bottles in.

An hour had passed by the time she finished cleaning up. His place looked much more Booth-like when she was done, and wondered the living room while she waited for him to get out of the bathroom. She had no intention of rushing him, she was there as long as he needed her, work could wait, she thought. Booth couldn't.

She found a notebook on the coffee table, and curiously flipped through the pages, sure to find nothing but sport statistics. Instead, she found pages of scribble, with one name plastered all over the pages.

"What are you doing Bones?" his voice called from the doorway.

Brennan dropped the notebook, surprised by his sudden appearance. She hadn't seen him come in. She looked at him guiltily.

"N- Nothing," she muttered.

The smell that came off his clothes was much more Booth-like, and she couldn't control her impulses as she crossed the room to him, and threw her arms around his neck as the tears wet her cheek. It took him a moment to respond, before he slipped his hands around her waist. "Bones," he whispered into her hair.

She held him tightly. "It's going to be okay, Booth. I promise."

She drew in the scent of his aftershave, closing her eyes as she savored the moment, he both felt and smelt like the man she knew, and she was relieved to experience something familiar. But she knew that this wasn't the end of this nightmare, both of them still had pieces to pick up before they would feel a sense of peace again.

_Oooooh, can anyone tell me whose name was in the notebook? =)_

_Reviews are appreciated. _


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: to all who guessed right, CONGRATULATIONS, you have just entered the mind of StevieLUVSAlex, welcome… and good luck, it's a scary place to be. Lol. I now present the next chapter… have fun. =)_

Brennan couldn't stop thinking about the notebook she had found in Booth's apartment. Had the name meant anything, when he had written it down? Brennan thought about it, it was all her mind focused on as she peered down at the remains on the examination table.

Angela made an appearance.

"Hey sweetie," she greeted with a warm smile. "How did it go with Booth?"

Brennan looked at her and shrugged. "I'm slightly confused, Ange."

"I know he was pretty messed up," Angela guessed.

"No," Brennan interrupted. "Not about his appearance or behavior. I ordered him to take a shower, and when I was cleaning up his apartment, I found a notebook. Inside, I found a name scribbled all over the pages…" she confessed.

Angela frowned. "What was the name?"

"Mine. Well… sort of… it was _Bones_."

Angela broke out in smiles. "He was thinking about you," she sensed.

"Ange, I don't think that-"

"Sweetie, I know more about men than you do. I know how they behave, trust me, okay? He was thinking about you."

"He could have been thinking about a body of remains," she reasoned.

Angela suppressed a laugh. "I don't think so Sweetie. He finds bones repulsive."

"I don't understand then, why would he call me- does he find me repulsive?" Brennan frowned, a deep disappointment clouding her eyes.

"Of course not," her fiend assured her. "He calls you that as a term of endearment. Because you work with bones, not because you resemble them," she explained.

"Oh," Brennan nodded understanding somewhat what her friend was trying to explain.

"Give him some time sweetie…" Angela warned. "He's yours, just… be patient."

"I don't know what that means?" she frowned.

Angela only winked in reply and walked away.

… … … … … … … … …

There were a few rules for Agent Booth before things returned to normal. The federal Bureau ordered him to have a few psychologist sessions with Lance Sweets before they returned his firearm and allowed him to play with the big boys again. He was allowed office assistance, such as paperwork and whatnot, and if he was desperately needed in the Jeffersonian, he was to make himself useful, as long as it didn't include field work.

Booth thought it was easier to stay home and sink a few beers.

But his conversation with Angela had haunted him as he slept, or at least attempted slumber, not that it got him far at all. Brennan's present had helped more than she'd ever know, and her cleaning up his place had been a huge eye-opener for him. He was grateful to her, and when he had the chance he would tell her so. He wanted to get his life back in order. He wanted to work again. He was sick of replaying the shooting in his head day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. It was enough to send him to the bug house, with his own stray-jacket and padded cell.

Something inside him had changed, and he wasn't sure that a day of work in the Jeffersonian was going to cure that. But he was sure as hell going to try.

His first stop was to see his son. He greeted Parker, and played with him for a few hours, and then left him with promises of coming back, promises of being a better father, apologizing for the last six months of absent phone calls and weekend visits.

"Are you still sad, dad?" he asked.

"A little bit, buddy, but I'm going to be alright," he said. He wasn't sure he believed that but nevertheless he wasn't going to tell his son what was really going on inside his head.

He thanked Rebecca for allowing the visit, and she nodded with a smile, pleased to see that he was picking himself up again.

He walked into the Jeffersonian, expecting to be ignored. He hadn't been much of anything but an empty shell the last six months, and in doing so, had jeopardized his relationships with everyone, the squints included.

"Hey," he greeted cautiously when he saw Brennan, bent over examining some remains.

She snapped her head up to meet his eyes. "Hi, Booth… what are you- how are you?"

He nodded. "I'm okay."

"It's good to see you," she dropped what she was doing and crossed the floor to meet him. There was an awkward pause as he thought about hugging her, but he decided against it, it was too soon to pretend that everything was right with the world.

He soberly noticed that she was thin. She looked deathly pale, and sick.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Booth."

"Listen," he shifted his feet. "I'm sorry… about the phone call and everything I put you though. I didn't- I mean-"

Brennan shook her head. "You don't have to apologize clearly you were in no state to converse and my moment of choice was inappropriate."

"It's not you, it was never you…" he assured her. If he had caused her to reach this point, then he was deeply sorry.

"Thank you, Booth."

"And thank you, Bones, for… you know for pulling me back to reality."

Brennan nodded. He made a mental note to remind her to eat something every once in a while, she could do with the extra weight.

A squeal of delight caused them both to jump, breaking concentration.

"Booth! Welcome back…" Angela grinned running to hug him. He smelt good. Thank God the boy was back!

"Thanks, Ang…" he smiled. "For… you know, for… I thought about what you said, and-" he shrugged.

"You took my advice?" she guessed looking pleased.

"No," he denied. "I heard myself say, 'I'm as crazy as Hannah' and that scared me," he admitted.

Angela nodded with understanding. "You're not," she assured him.

"I know. Thanks." He looked at his watch. "I have to go see Sweets, the Bureau won't let me have my firearm back until I go through this stupid thing with a 'psychologist' or whatever," he said bitterly.

"You'll be fine, hot-boy," Angela encouraged.

Booth nodded. He sure hoped so. He looked to Brennan. "See you later…"

"Yeah," she said.

"Do you want to maybe get…" was it too soon for coffee?

"Lunch," she nodded.

He smiled. "I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Alright," she agreed.

Booth wondered off in the direction of Sweet's office.

_Did anyone think that was too unrealistic or un-booth? Maybe you thought Bones and Angela were too nice? Opinions are welcome. =)_


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: WOW… you guys are truly incredible. You have no idea how grateful I am to have such a loyal fan base of readers. REALLY! I reached another goal, and it was all thanks to you. =) I love you all… mwah xoxo_

There was a lot of resentment towards Sweets, as Booth pushed open the door to his office. He'd given him some bad advice – not for the first time – this occasion regarding Hannah Burley and it had spiraled out of control, ending this time, in a blood bath.

Booth flopped down on the couch, both tense and annoyed. He was only here to get his firearm and field privileges back, and he had no intention of making the session with the psychiatrist easy. Sweets would work for it. Booth was determined to make sure of that.

"Hello, Agent Booth," he greeted with caution. The expression on Booth's face was evident of his frustration. Sweets, was guarded.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"How have you been?"

"How do you think I've been, little boy?" he shot back curtly.

Sweets winced at the nickname. He still hadn't gained enough respect to drop the title of child. He was disappointed. Over time he had more than shown his capabilities and still they didn't value his work.

"The point of these sessions is to express what you're feeling so that we can determine the appropriate course of action…" Sweets reasoned.

Booth laughed in amusement. "You're _really_ asking me how I've been."

Sweet paused before nodding.

"Let's see," he pretended to think about it. "I came to you for help when my girlfriend began acting irrationally and you assured me it was fine. You told me you would make sure nothing problematic would happen. I trusted you, more fool me. Her behavior then began to spiral out of control even more so when she broke into Bones' house and scared her. You convinced me that she would bring NO harm to anyone and that she was safe to be running loose…"

Sweets shifted in his seat as he took his pen to the paper. "It's interesting you should phrase your words that way, is there a particular reason you chose to use, the word-"

Booth clenched his jaw. He would have liked to smack the kid in the mouth. "Are you frickin' kidding me? I wouldn't shrink me if I were you. It's safe to say I won't be listening to anymore of your crap. I don't trust you, _doctor_," he mocked. "You screwed up too, kid, and you should bloody well take the rap for it. Accept your part in this. Don't you sit here asking me how I am! Because you failed to take action, I had to make a split decision. I shot Hannah. I killed her. You will never know how that feels," he growled.

Sweets sat silently, with no reply.

Booth spoke again, adopting a much calmer tone. "I suggest you get in touch with the Federal Bureau and tell them you see no problem with me returning to field work. DEMAND I get my firearm back, and pray that you don't piss me off again," he threatened. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some criminals to catch."

Booth stood up, and without another word, trudged out of the office.

… … … … … …

Booth pulled a stool up, and sat himself at the bar.

He slapped down a ten dollar bill.

"Neat scotch," he ordered.

The bartender took a glass and poured him a drink. "Bad day?"

"Yeah… something like that."

_I don't know how you feel about this chapter. I hope you like it. Reviews let me know… LUNCH with Bones is next =)_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: I know a lot of people were unsure about the 'Booth drinking at the pub' thing! And truth be told I was going to drag it out for a few more chapters, but thought better of it, instead I came up with this, and in the process I have given you guys a little B&B moment but am postponing LUNCH until the next chapter, I hope you don't mind… if you like it you can show your gratitude by leaving reviews… they're so pretty! =). _

She sifted through her jacket pocket and retrieved her phone, putting it close to her ear. "Brennan," she answered. Her eyes remained on the bones that lay out on the examination table in front of her.

"Dr. Brennan," cam replied. "You might want to get down here."

Brennan frowned. Her voice was strained. "Where are you?" she asked.

"The pub. Booth is here," she sighed.

Brennan's heart rate increased and her focus was drawn away from the remains, her eyes fixated on a blank spot on the floor beneath her feet. "Is he drunk?"

"He will be soon…" she told her.

"Thanks, Dr. Saroyan. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Brennan dropped what she was doing, and for the first time she walked away from her job, with no thought for the consequences, no thought for the deceased person laying on the table, and the justice that would have to wait. Brennan knew that her partner needed her she felt it in her gut, despite the unscientific reasoning behind that. Trusting she was doing the right thing, Brennan drove her car to the main pub that Booth had gone to before Hannah Burley had ever existed in their lives.

She found him seated at the bar.

Brennan approached with caution, and took up the seat beside him.

"How you doing, Booth?" she asked gently.

He turned to look at her, surprised to find a familiar face. His eyes were dazed, but not blood-shot. He was deeply sad, but his pupils didn't indicate intoxication. He had been nursing his drink for an hour, never having lifted the glass to his lips. "I could ask you the same thing…"

"Dr. Saroyan called me," she offered.

Booth frowned. He didn't remember seeing her in the bar.

"What happened with Dr. Sweets?" as far as Brennan knew, the last place he had been was there.

"The kid is an idiot," he responded bitterly. "I don't know… maybe he's not…" he sighed heavily and met her eyes. Brennan saw that his eyes were pools of emotion, and it weighed heavily on her heart, knowing she was of little help to him. As much as she would have liked, she could not remove this burden from his shoulders, it was his load to carry. "I can't shut it off, Bones, the shooting, the way she fell, the look in her eyes when the gun went off… I disappointed her."

Brennan laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, her eyes stinging from the tears that were desperate for release. She could see he was struggling, and thought before she spoke. In an ordinary situation, she would have bluntly stated the facts. He was a drunk and he needed help. But that statement would have rendered useless in this situation, he needed more, he needed a reason to pull himself up.

"Booth, this behavior is not like you," she said tactfully, holding back the urge to tell it like it was. "It resembles very much the way your father was in your own childhood, as you once explained it to me. You don't want to be that man. Parker needs you… the Jeffersonian needs you…" she took a breath. "_I _need you."

He smiled weakly. "You don't need me, Bones, I'm a screw up."

She shook her head firmly, letting the tears fall. "You're not a screw up. You're just trying to rationalize a situation that was well beyond your control. You do not need to punish yourself for this, Booth. You don't…"

He looked down at his untouched glass of scotch and let his fingers envelop around it.

"I can't build a future with you like this," she said quietly.

He looked up, his heart pulsating with a new hope. "A future?"

"Possibly," she nodded. "If you cleaned yourself up and stopped drinking, we might be able to try at making a relationship work. I missed you, Booth, these past six months have taught me that without you, I don't care about things the way I should…" working away from her job in the middle of the day, had proved that.

"You care about me?"

"I do, very much."

"You do…"

"Yes' she nodded firmly. "But I won't try to make a go of it until you try to rid yourself of the alcohol content."

His eyes pierced through hers, causing her breath to shorten. It was hard to breathe. "Do you love me, Bones?"

She wasn't ready for that. "Booth, that's not an appropriate conversation to be having while you're in this state of mind…" she reasoned.

"Tell me, please…" he begged.

Brennan reached into her pocket and retrieved a card. "Call this number," she urged slapping it down on the bar in front of his glass. "Hodgins gave it to me for you. He said that it's the best de-tox program in the country. He covered the financial side of it, and urges you to get the help you need."

Booth's straightened up. "I don't need help," he denied.

"Please, Booth…" she begged. She missed the man he used to be. The woman she had been with him. Brennan had changed too, and it didn't go unnoticed by others how much weight she had lost since Hannah Burley had come into the picture. She needed him, despite the fear that attached itself to that need.

Booth nodded. "Okay Bones, for you."

"Thank you," she smiled weakly. It was a start at least.

"For us," he insisted.

He pushed the glass away with effort, determined not to disappoint her again.

_Who liked that chapter? =)_


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: I am close to finishing this story… hope that's okay. =)_

Brennan smiled with pride. He had made the effort.

"How would you like to pick up Parker and go to the diner for lunch?" she suggested.

Booth nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a great idea, Bones. Parks would love that."

"Me too," she said standing from the bar stool and offering her hand.

Booth took it and the two of them walked out of the bar, sober.

… … … … … …

"Chocolate!" the boy's voice boomed with excitement. "I want chocolate flavor!"

Brennan smiled down at the child she sometimes wished were hers. "Okay, Parker. Chocolate it is."

The child beamed up at her.

The three of them – Booth, Brennan and Parker – found a table by the window.

"I'm glad you and dad are friends again," Parker commented as he sipped his milkshake.

Brennan frowned. "We were always friends, Parker."

"No, you weren't," he stated. "Cause me and my friend Mitch, hang out and play together, and you and dad didn't go out and do stuff, except go to work… _that_ doesn't count," he insisted.

Booth smiled down at his son. How had he ever thought that hurting this boy, the way he had been hurt by his own father, was a good idea? Parker was a great reason to pull himself together. There was nothing more rewarding than being a father, Booth knew, and he would have cut off his own arm before he ever intentionally hurt his child.

Booth looked over at Brennan and reached across the table to grasp her hand. "You're right, Parks. I didn't treat Bones very well… for a long time… I was wrong. But it's going to get better now, I promise."

Brennan hid her tears.

"Dad?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Does that mean we can use Dr. Bones' pool again?" he asked with wide eyes.

Booth ruffled his hair and pulled him against him for a quick hug. "We'll see," he offered.

Brennan watched the two of them together. She always found her concentration was on them, as they conversed, played and acted around each other. Brennan knew without a doubt that his love for his son was enough to make him realize that his drinking habit was a no-go zone.

"Listen, Bones, you need to have something to eat," Booth urged.

Brennan frowned. "I'm not very hungry," she admitted.

"Too bad," he shrugged. "You have to eat something. You are too thin, Bones, its time for me to be your friend again…" he smiled.

Brennan understood what he was trying to do, but it had been so long since she ate properly, that she wasn't sure she was capable of it anymore.

"Something little?" he suggested.

Brennan nodded. "A slice of toast."

"Two!" he compromised.

She shook her head. The thought of eating one, was too much, there was no way she was able to stomach two slices of bread. "No," she declined.

"Bones," he urged. "Come on… for me… for Parker."

Brennan frowned. "I don't like it when you do that," she said.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Using my affection for Parker," she smiled.

"Do it for me then," he teased.

"Booth?"

"What?"

"I don't like that either."

"Do it for _us_…"

She said nothing.

"Bones?"

"What?"

"Eat something," he pleaded.

Brennan nodded.

When the food arrived, she fought the urge to resist it, and focused her energy on Booth. He had given the drink up, now it was her turn to do something, as Angela had once told her a long time ago 'offer something that you're not sure you want them to know.' It was similar. He had done something for her, now it was her turn to do something for him.

Both Parker and Booth applauded when she had finished both slices of bread, making Brennan blush with embarrassment.

_Lunch as promised, hope it was good… =)_

_If you feel happy today, leave a review… if not, thank you for reading, enjoy the rest of your day/night, whatever you have planned!_


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: This chapter is focused on Bren and Ange, I thought that there needed to be a bit more focus on the two of them regarding their friendship… and of course that leads us into B&B discussion… =)_

_**Two months later**_

Angela saw the change in her friend within weeks, the light was back in her eyes… her thin stick figure was starting to fill out again, in all the right places… the smile that had been absent for so long, was back with a vengeance… Brennan was no longer a former shell of herself.

She was back!

After work one day, Angela suggested they go back to her apartment. Angela wanted to share the work she and Hodgins had done on the Nursery. Brennan eagerly agreed, knowing that Booth was at one of Parker's sport games. Booth had asked her to come along, but she had declined, knowing that father and son needed some time alone. Brennan had sensed that, despite how many times Booth had told her 'Parker loves being with you, Bones'.

Angela proudly showed her the Nursery. The walls had been painted a sea-green color, to cater for either a boy or a girl there was a wooden cot in the far left hand corner of the room. A change table, with everything needed to attend to the child's needs. A chest of drawers, which Angela had showed her, were full of new baby clothes. The rest of the Nursery was decorated with the finishing touch of plush toys and cuddly teddy-bears.

"This is amazing, Ange," Brennan smiled in awe. An ache hit her chest, as she longed for her own little prodigy. She had no doubt that her child would have a similar I.Q to her, especially if the father of her child had an I.Q that was more than average, which she intended for herself and her child.

"Yeah," Angela smiled proudly. "We did okay."

Angela shut the door behind her, as the two of them headed up the hallway and into the kitchen. Angela fixed her a drink, and the two sat at the table and chatted casually about what changes Angela would make once the baby came.

"I still want to work," she insisted. "I think I can do both. If worst comes to worse, I can always take my baby with me to work."

"Do you think that's wise?" Brennan asked. "It's a laboratory with decaying corpses."

Angela wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Thanks for that, Bren. It'll be fine. Most of the time, when I go to work, I'll have a sitter, but I want to be with my baby…"

Brennan nodded. A lot of thought had gone into her situation.

"Bren," Angela addressed.

"Yeah,"

"I'd really like to see you happy… and I was thinking now that Hannah is out of the picture, you could-"

Brennan frowned. "Angela," she warned.

"Come on, Bren. I know you love him…"

"Angela, STOP!" she warned.

Angela waited a moment before responding, her hand on her stomach, running circles with her finger. "You remember the regret you felt when Hannah was around, when you had to watch him with her."

Brennan didn't need a reminder. "I am well aware of-"

"You don't want to go through that all over again, do you?"

"No, I don't…" she said honestly. It had been a nightmare. Having been ignored, having to watch the two of them play intense games of tonsil Hockey right in front of her face. Having lost the partnership, for some time, and then having to hide it when Hannah had demanded he choose between them. No, Brennan had no desire to ever feel that crushing intense pain again.

"So, then do something about it. Why do you have to make things so difficult for yourself all the time. It doesn't have to be complicated. It can be easy, if you want it to be."

Brennan glared at a spot on the table, unable to meet Angela's gaze. "I told him that there might very well be a future for us."

Angela's delight was not hidden. "Are you serious? Oh, Bren, that's… wow…I'm SO happy for you."

"A lot of changes have to be made first, Ange. Neither one of us can just jump into a relationship without thought. He needs to get his drinking habit under control, and he needs to work through his conflicting emotions regarding Hannah Burley. It's not simple."

"When did you speak to Booth about this?"

"I don't know," Brennan thought about it. "Two months ago, I think…"

Angela smiled.

"Listen to me! In the last month that boy has changed considerably. He hasn't touched alcohol in all that time. He has his visitation rights back with Parker. The FBI gave him back his firearm and he's back in the field. He's back to his old self again, more or less, and it would be crazy to think that what happened to him wouldn't change him somewhat. He kept his promise, Bren… I think it's time for you to do the same," she urged.

Brennan said nothing as she thought about what her friend was suggesting. Was she ready?

_Well, what do you think guys… Booth is back to his old-self, they are back to being partners/much more than they are saying… do you think it's time that B&B made their move? _

_The decision lays in YOUR hands, so get to clicking that button below and give me your answer…_


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: And here comes the LAST chapter. Sorry it took me so long to upload, but I was away for the weekend and I wanted to hold off the last chapter. I hope it was worth it. THANK YOU for all those who stuck with this story, who favorited, alerted, and reviewed. It was greatly appreciated. _

_I bring you the much-needed B&B promise. Hopefully it's what you all had in mind, or close enough. I think you might like it… =)_

There she stood again, her knuckles rapping on the hard surface of the wooden door. She stood back, trembling slightly as she tried to regain her composure. Brennan wasn't sure what to expect, the anticipation of the unknown had her on edge, but she knew that this time she had no desire to chicken out. With Angela's advice running through her head, she had more determination than ever.

It was time to set aside all her scientific mumbo-jumbo, as Booth called it, and look inside herself for the answers. There was no more hiding behind evidence.

Brennan heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and she held her breath.

The door opened, and he peeked his head around it. His hair was ruffled, his eyes wide and red, for a moment she wondered if he had been drinking.

Booth rubbed his eyes and blinked. "Bones… what are-" he cleared his throat. "What are you doing here? Do you have ANY idea what time it is?"

Brennan glanced down at her watch. It was late. Most of the City was well and truly in the deep REM cycle of sleep. She blushed. "I didn't realize it was so late… sorry," she muttered nervously.

"Fine," he said. "What are… are you here for a reason?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Booth waited for more.

Brennan locked eyes with him, the overwhelming emotions flooded through her, and she found herself unafraid of the future. Booth had always proved that in the end, he was trustworthy, like everyone, he made mistakes, where Hannah was concerned, he had made more than usual, but still he had proved that his love for her over powered all else. He was one of the good guys. He would never abandon her. The evidence she needed to come to a conclusion, was right before her.

She smiled to herself as she pushed the door open, Booth now standing squarely in front of her. She placed her palms to his upper torso and shoved him hard against the nearest wall, before pressing her body up against his. He was momentarily stunned by her actions, what had happened to rational _Bones_? An unfamiliar sound escaped his throat, as his hands found their way around her waist, seemingly having a mind of their own.

"Bones, what-"

She did not allow him to speak, but instead pressed her lips to his, in an almost violent attempt. His response was almost instant, his arms encircling her waist tighter than his grip on her had been. Booth moved swiftly, turning her around so that she was the one with her back against the wall, his hands reaching for her forearms, and placing them above her head, pinning them against the wall by her wrists, so that she had very little room to move. Booth moved his body, pressing it against hers, in a way that told her he wanted her with every fiber of his being.

She wanted him too.

Brennan only took moments to respond, titling her head in a teasing motion as her lips settled close to his, before shifting away again in playful fashion. The passion that had been buried in Booth for 5 exceedingly long years, always suppressed, came to a head in a powerful kiss. He removed one hand from her wrists, still gripping her forcibly in place, and took hold of her chin before crushing his lips against hers.

Booth's body moved closer, as she struggled to move her arms, her mouth opened slightly to deepen the kiss. His mouth moved over hers in an attempt to open a part of himself that had been forced to remain closed for so long. The tip of his tongue found hers, and the taste of his kiss brought a sense of familiarity, as if she'd done this, not once or twice, but a thousand times. As if she existed only for this moment.

Booth released Brennan's pinned position on the wall, and moved his hands to her waist, and gripping her back in a gentle embrace. Brennan's hands found their way around his neck, tangling in his thick brown hair.

Out of breath, Booth pulled her reluctantly at arm's length. He panted heavily, his eyes moving over her with evident desire. "You're going to be the death of me Temperance Brennan," he admitted openly, keeping his voice to a whisper, resting his hands on her shoulders keeping her at a distance.

Brennan could barely muster the will to answer, but she managed a smile, understanding this was a pop culture reference. "One step at a time," she suggested.

Booth nodded threading his hand through hers. "One step at a time," he agreed.

Brennan pressed herself against him again, one hand bracing the wall behind her, and allowed their mouths to meet again.

There were things they needed to discuss, time needed to heal the wounds that had been opened, but for now, knowing they had each other, and the future ahead, was enough.

… … … … … … … …

It ends in Sweets office. "It's been 2 months now, since you're return to work, since- you know, our last conversation about it, how do you feel in regards to Hannah Burley?"

Despite the instant tension that seized his body, he leaned back on the couch, his arms folded across his torso. "Well…" he began.

He had to start somewhere.

_I would love to know what you thought of the ending, you want to leave me a review =)_

_Ps. If you liked this story, you might be interested in my novels, the chapters are MUCH longer, lol. You can by them from Amazon bookstores. My penname is Rebecca Iannone… and the titles are GROWING PAINS and THE INVISIBLE STRING: the secrets that bind. =)_

_Thank you again. xoxo_


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